How much should I charge as a lawyer in Georgia ?

Did you know that lawyers in Georgia typically charge between $85 and $657 per hour, with the average being $286? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Georgia 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 Georgia, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Georgia.

Hourly rates in Georgia

Lawyers in Georgia typically charge between $85 and $657 per hour, with the average being $286. 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 Georgia by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$380
Appellate$315
Bankruptcy$371
Business$356
Civil Litigation$352
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$125
Collections$286
Commercial Sale of Goods$349
Construction$265
Contracts$459
Corporate$382
Criminal$200
Elder Law$528
Employment Labor$396
Family$329
Government$383
Immigration$657
Insurance$194
Intellectual Property$369
Juvenile$85
Mediation and Arbitration$326
Medical Malpractice$229
Other$369
Personal Injury$418
Real Estate$369
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$345
Traffic Offenses$169
Trusts$350
Wills and Estates$357
Worker's Compensation$172

Georgia's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Georgia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $262. The average hourly rate for Georgia lawyers is $286 and the average for non-lawyers is $154.

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.


Georgia'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 Georgia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $274, while the average hourly rate for Georgia lawyers is $299 and non-lawyers is $161.

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.

Georgia'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%.

Georgia's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Georgia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 31%.

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%.

Georgia's realization rate

The realization rate for Georgia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 84%.

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%.

Georgia's collection rate

The collection rate for Georgia 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%.

Georgia’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$286$299
2022 Legal Trends Report$288$313
2021 Legal Trends Report$275$299
2020 Legal Trends Report$268$292
2019 Legal Trends Report$269$293

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2023 Legal Trends Report$262$274
2022 Legal Trends Report$266$289
2021 Legal Trends Report$256$279
2020 Legal Trends Report$252$274
2019 Legal Trends Report$251$272

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$154$161
2022 Legal Trends Report$158$172
2021 Legal Trends Report$154$167
2020 Legal Trends Report$156$169
2019 Legal Trends Report$152$165
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 Georgia?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Georgia is between $657 and $85 per hour, with the average being $286.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Georgia?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Georgia is $329 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Georgia?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Georgia is $352 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Georgia?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Georgia is $200 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Georgia?

Immigration attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Georgia, earning $657 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Georgia?

Juvenile attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Georgia, earning $85 per hour on average.