How much should I charge as a lawyer in Arkansas ?

Did you know that lawyers in Arkansas typically charge between $151 and $523 per hour, with the average being $242? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Arkansas can provide valuable insight into how competitive your rates are and help you make strategic decisions regarding your billing rate.

Below, we’ve included further information on the average hourly rates in Arkansas, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Arkansas.

Hourly rates in Arkansas

Lawyers in Arkansas typically charge between $151 and $523 per hour, with the average being $242. For comparison, District of Columbia has the highest average hourly rate at $392 while West Virginia has the lowest average hourly rate at $162.


Hourly rates in Arkansas by practice area

Average hourly rates in Arkansas vary by practice area. The table below includes the average hourly rate for attorneys in different practice areas.


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$304
Appellate$333
Bankruptcy$354
Business$341
Civil Litigation$307
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$350
Collections$274
Commercial Sale of Goods$371
Construction$352
Contracts$382
Corporate$426
Criminal$151
Elder Law$156
Employment Labor$335
Family$300
Government$374
Immigration$248
Insurance$216
Intellectual Property$440
Juvenile$226
Mediation and Arbitration$523
Medical MalpracticeCurrently unavailable
Other$320
Personal Injury$321
Real Estate$341
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$355
Traffic Offenses$411
Trusts$378
Wills and Estates$379
Worker's Compensation$350

Arkansas's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Arkansas law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $229. The average hourly rate for Arkansas lawyers is $242 and the average for non-lawyers is $152.

For comparison:

  • District of Columbia has the highest law firm hourly rate at $365, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $160.
  • District of Columbia has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $392, while West Virginia has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $162.


Arkansas's hourly rates adjusted for cost of living

When it come to adjusted rates by state (rates reflecting the cost of living in each state), the average hourly rate for Arkansas law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $256, while the average hourly rate for Arkansas lawyers is $271 and non-lawyers is $170.

For comparison:

  • District of Columbia has the highest law firm hourly rate at $328, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $176.
  • District of Columbia has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $352, while Alabama has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $178.

Arkansas's utilization, realization, and collection rates

Key performance indicators (KPIs) offer valuable insights into a firm’s performance. This information helps lawyers understand how they and their employees are contributing to revenue generation, and can be instrumental in identifying areas for continuous improvement.

Lawyers should be familiar with the following KPIs:

  1. Utilization rate: How many hours individual lawyers put towards revenue-generating work. The national average utilization rate was 33%.
  2. Realization rate: How much revenue–generating work is billed to a client after discounts or canceled fees. The national average realization rate was 86%.
  3. Collection rate: How much invoiced work gets paid to a law firm. The national average collection rate was 90%.

Arkansas's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Arkansas law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 26%.

For comparison:
  • Nebraska has the highest utilization rate for law firms at 43%, while Arkansas has the lowest utilization rate for law firms at 26%.

Arkansas's realization rate

The realization rate for Arkansas law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 87%.

For comparison:
  • Vermont has the highest realization rate for law firms at 95%, while District of Columbia has the lowest realization rate for law firms at 70%.

Arkansas's collection rate

The collection rate for Arkansas law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 89%.

For comparison:
  • Vermont has the highest collection rate for law firms at 95%, while Rhode Island has the lowest collection rate for law firms at 81%.

Arkansas’s hourly rates over the last five reports

Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$242$271
2022 Legal Trends Report$248$284
2021 Legal Trends Report$251$287
2020 Legal Trends Report$238$272
2019 Legal Trends Report$234$268

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2023 Legal Trends Report$229$256
2022 Legal Trends Report$233$267
2021 Legal Trends Report$235$269
2020 Legal Trends Report$220$252
2019 Legal Trends Report$219$250

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$152$170
2022 Legal Trends Report$140$160
2021 Legal Trends Report$131$150
2020 Legal Trends Report$120$137
2019 Legal Trends Report$121$138
Legal Trends Report

About Clio’s Hourly Rate Data for Lawyers (Updated 2023)

Clio's Hourly Rate Data is based on aggregated and anonymized data from tens of thousands of legal professionals using Clio. Each year, this data is analyzed and published within the Legal Trends Report, which provides ongoing, in-depth research into the most pressing issues faced by legal professionals.

Read the Legal Trends Report

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hourly rate of a lawyer in Arkansas?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Arkansas is between $523 and $151 per hour, with the average being $242.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Arkansas?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Arkansas is $300 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Arkansas?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Arkansas is $307 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Arkansas?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Arkansas is $151 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Arkansas?

Mediation and Arbitration attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Arkansas, earning $523 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Arkansas?

Criminal attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Arkansas, earning $151 per hour on average.