How much should I charge as a lawyer in Maryland ?

Did you know that lawyers in Maryland typically charge between $170 and $543 per hour, with the average being $361? 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 $170 and $543 per hour, with the average being $361. For comparison, District of Columbia has the highest average hourly rate at $490 while West Virginia has the lowest average hourly rate at $196.

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$301
Appellate$312
Bankruptcy$441
Business$373
Civil Litigation$358
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$419
Collections$398
Commercial Sale of Goods$363
Construction$344
Contracts$316
Corporate$504
Criminal$238
Elder Law$384
Employment Labor$311
Family$355
Government$437
Immigration$479
Insurance$231
Intellectual Property$543
Juvenile$264
Mediation and Arbitration$332
Medical Malpractice$275
Other$347
Personal Injury$354
Real Estate$381
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$370
Traffic Offenses$260
Trusts$421
Wills and Estates$370
Worker's Compensation$170

Hourly Rates for Maryland Law Firms

  • Not adjusted for cost of living is $327/hour

    The average hourly rate for Maryland law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $327. The average hourly rate for Maryland lawyers is $361 and the average for non-lawyers is $199.

    For comparison:

    • District of Columbia has the highest law firm hourly rate at $454, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $185.
    • District of Columbia has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $490, while West Virginia has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $196.

  • Adjusted for cost of living is $315/hour

    When it comes 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 $315, while the average hourly rate for Maryland lawyers is $347 and non-lawyers is $191.

    For comparison:

    • Delaware has the highest law firm hourly rate at $421, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $206.
    • Delaware has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $475, while Alaska has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $218.

Maryland's Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

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.

  • Utilization rate 34%

    How many hours individual lawyers put towards revenue-generating work. The national average utilization rate was 37%.

    For comparison: Nebraska has the highest utilization rate for law firms at 46%, while Arkansas has the lowest utilization rate for law firms at 29%.

  • Realization rate 87%

    How much revenue–generating work is billed to a client after discounts or canceled fees. The national average realization rate was 86%.

    For comparison: Idaho has the highest realization rate for law firms at 95%, while West Virginia has the lowest realization rate for law firms at 74%.

  • Collection rate 92%

    How much invoiced work gets paid to a law firm. The national average collection rate was 93%.

    For comparison: Delaware has the highest collection rate for law firms at 97%, while Arkansas has the lowest collection rate for law firms at 87%.

Maryland’s Rates Over the Last Five Reports

Lawyer Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2025 Legal Trends Report$361$347
2024 Legal Trends Report$344$327
2023 Legal Trends Report$310$291
2022 Legal Trends Report$319$289
2021 Legal Trends Report$312$283

Law Firm Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2025 Legal Trends Report$327$315
2024 Legal Trends Report$322$306
2023 Legal Trends Report$286$270
2022 Legal Trends Report$293$265
2021 Legal Trends Report$290$263

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2025 Legal Trends Report$199$191
2024 Legal Trends Report$214$204
2023 Legal Trends Report$175$165
2022 Legal Trends Report$163$148
2021 Legal Trends Report$170$154
  • About Clio’s Hourly Rate Data for Lawyers (Updated 2025)

    Clio's Hourly Rate Data is based on aggregated and anonymized data from tens of thousands of legal professionals. 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 $543 and $170 per hour, with the average being $361.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Maryland?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Maryland is $355 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Maryland?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Maryland is $358 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Maryland?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Maryland is $238 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Maryland?

Intellectual Property attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Maryland, earning $543 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 $170 per hour on average.