How much should I charge as a lawyer in Maryland ?

Did you know that lawyers in Maryland typically charge between $173 and $570 per hour, with the average being $310? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Maryland 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 Maryland, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Maryland.

Hourly rates in Maryland

Lawyers in Maryland typically charge between $173 and $570 per hour, with the average being $310. 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 Maryland by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$312
Appellate$363
Bankruptcy$465
Business$318
Civil Litigation$341
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$342
Collections$296
Commercial Sale of Goods$352
Construction$338
Contracts$403
Corporate$461
Criminal$242
Elder Law$425
Employment Labor$342
Family$334
Government$180
Immigration$570
Insurance$258
Intellectual Property$444
Juvenile$213
Mediation and Arbitration$296
Medical Malpractice$272
Other$342
Personal Injury$291
Real Estate$359
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$493
Traffic Offenses$440
Trusts$439
Wills and Estates$350
Worker's Compensation$173

Maryland's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Maryland law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $286. The average hourly rate for Maryland lawyers is $310 and the average for non-lawyers is $175.

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.


Maryland'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 Maryland law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $270, while the average hourly rate for Maryland lawyers is $291 and non-lawyers is $165.

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.

Maryland'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%.

Maryland's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Maryland law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 30%.

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%.

Maryland's realization rate

The realization rate for Maryland 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%.

Maryland's collection rate

The collection rate for Maryland 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%.

Maryland’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$310$291
2022 Legal Trends Report$319$289
2021 Legal Trends Report$312$283
2020 Legal Trends Report$306$277
2019 Legal Trends Report$299$271

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2023 Legal Trends Report$286$270
2022 Legal Trends Report$293$265
2021 Legal Trends Report$290$263
2020 Legal Trends Report$287$260
2019 Legal Trends Report$276$250

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$175$165
2022 Legal Trends Report$163$148
2021 Legal Trends Report$170$154
2020 Legal Trends Report$177$161
2019 Legal Trends Report$172$156
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 Maryland?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Maryland is between $570 and $173 per hour, with the average being $310.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Maryland?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Maryland is $334 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Maryland?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Maryland is $341 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Maryland?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Maryland is $242 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Maryland?

Immigration attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Maryland, earning $570 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Maryland?

Worker's Compensation attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Maryland, earning $173 per hour on average.