How much should I charge as a lawyer in Florida ?

Did you know that lawyers in Florida typically charge between $100 and $633 per hour, with the average being $297? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Florida 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 Florida, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Florida.

Hourly rates in Florida

Lawyers in Florida typically charge between $100 and $633 per hour, with the average being $297. 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 Florida by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$352
Appellate$428
Bankruptcy$430
Business$361
Civil Litigation$311
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$215
Collections$288
Commercial Sale of Goods$357
Construction$351
Contracts$317
Corporate$380
Criminal$332
Elder Law$633
Employment Labor$384
Family$344
Government$258
Immigration$443
Insurance$308
Intellectual Property$420
Juvenile$100
Mediation and Arbitration$337
Medical Malpractice$229
Other$311
Personal Injury$364
Real Estate$270
Small Claims$177
Tax$403
Traffic Offenses$266
Trusts$389
Wills and Estates$399
Worker's Compensation$153

Florida's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Florida law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $264. The average hourly rate for Florida lawyers is $297 and the average for non-lawyers is $151.

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.


Florida'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 Florida law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $260, while the average hourly rate for Florida lawyers is $293 and non-lawyers is $149.

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.

Florida'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%.

Florida's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Florida law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 33%.

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%.

Florida's realization rate

The realization rate for Florida law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 77%.

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%.

Florida's collection rate

The collection rate for Florida law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 91%.

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%.

Florida’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$297$293
2022 Legal Trends Report$303$305
2021 Legal Trends Report$296$299
2020 Legal Trends Report$294$297
2019 Legal Trends Report$288$291

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2023 Legal Trends Report$264$260
2022 Legal Trends Report$268$270
2021 Legal Trends Report$264$266
2020 Legal Trends Report$262$264
2019 Legal Trends Report$259$261

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$151$149
2022 Legal Trends Report$150$152
2021 Legal Trends Report$144$146
2020 Legal Trends Report$143$145
2019 Legal Trends Report$146$147
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 Florida?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Florida is between $633 and $100 per hour, with the average being $297.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Florida?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Florida is $344 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Florida?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Florida is $311 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Florida?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Florida is $332 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Florida?

Elder Law attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Florida, earning $633 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Florida?

Juvenile attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Florida, earning $100 per hour on average.