How much should I charge as a lawyer in Louisiana ?

Did you know that lawyers in Louisiana typically charge between $149 and $342 per hour, with the average being $250? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Louisiana 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 Louisiana, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Louisiana.

Hourly rates in Louisiana

Lawyers in Louisiana typically charge between $149 and $342 per hour, with the average being $250. For comparison, District of Columbia has the highest average hourly rate at $424 while West Virginia has the lowest average hourly rate at $168.

Hourly rates in Louisiana by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$176
Appellate$165
Bankruptcy$302
Business$289
Civil Litigation$257
Civil Rights | Constitutional Law$257
Collections$267
Commercial | Sale of Goods$263
Construction$254
Contracts$237
Corporate$330
Criminal$254
Elder Law$278
Employment | Labor$278
Family$257
Government$190
Immigration$275
Insurance$173
Intellectual Property$202
Juvenile$275
Mediation | Arbitration$315
Medical Malpractice$182
Other$263
Personal Injury$200
Real Estate$317
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$342
Traffic Offenses$318
Trusts$282
Wills & Estates$256
Worker's Compensation$149

Louisiana's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Louisiana law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $228. The average hourly rate for Louisiana lawyers is $250 and the average for non-lawyers is $100.

For comparison:

  • District of Columbia has the highest law firm hourly rate at $384, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $163.
  • District of Columbia has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $424, while West Virginia has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $168.


Louisiana'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 Louisiana law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $251, while the average hourly rate for Louisiana lawyers is $274 and non-lawyers is $109.

For comparison:
  • District of Columbia has the highest law firm hourly rate at $330, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $183.
  • District of Columbia has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $359, while Alabama has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $189.

Note: Industry-wide data suggests the average lawyer could increase rates by an additional 3% to keep up with recent changes in the consumer price index (CPI) relative to 2019.

Louisiana'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 85%.
  3. Collection rate: How much invoiced work gets paid to a law firm. The national average collection rate was 89%.

Louisiana's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Louisiana law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 29%.

For comparison:
  • Nebraska has the highest utilization rate for law firms at 42%, while New Hampshire has the lowest utilization rate for law firms at 26%.

Louisiana's realization rate

The realization rate for Louisiana law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 82%.

For comparison:
  • Idaho has the highest realization rate for law firms at 94%, while District of Columbia has the lowest realization rate for law firms at 66%.

Louisiana's collection rate

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

For comparison:
  • Minnesota has the highest collection rate for law firms at 92%, while Illinois has the lowest collection rate for law firms at 85%.

Louisiana’s hourly rates over the last five reports

Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Lawyers
2022 Legal Trends Report$250$274
2021 Legal Trends Report$244$267
2020 Legal Trends Report$235$257
2019 Legal Trends Report$231$253
2018 Legal Trends Report$222$243

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2022 Legal Trends Report$228$251
2021 Legal Trends Report$221$241
2020 Legal Trends Report$219$239
2019 Legal Trends Report$216$236
2018 Legal Trends Report$207$227

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2022 Legal Trends Report$100$109
2021 Legal Trends Report$99$108
2020 Legal Trends Report$92$101
2019 Legal Trends Report$95$104
2018 Legal Trends Report$101$111
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 Louisiana?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Louisiana is between $342 and $149 per hour, with the average being $250.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Louisiana?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Louisiana is $257 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Louisiana?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Louisiana is $257 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Louisiana?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Louisiana is $254 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Louisiana?

Tax attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Louisiana, earning $342 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Louisiana?

Worker's Compensation attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Louisiana, earning $149 per hour on average.