How much should I charge as a lawyer in Michigan ?

Did you know that lawyers in Michigan typically charge between $76 and $407 per hour, with the average being $269? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Michigan 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 Michigan, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Michigan.

Hourly rates in Michigan

Lawyers in Michigan typically charge between $76 and $407 per hour, with the average being $269. 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 Michigan by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$274
Appellate$334
Bankruptcy$308
Business$305
Civil Litigation$276
Civil Rights | Constitutional Law$232
Collections$277
Commercial | Sale of Goods$314
Construction$252
Contracts$243
Corporate$288
Criminal$217
Elder Law$239
Employment | Labor$289
Family$294
Government$141
Immigration$348
Insurance$223
Intellectual Property$407
Juvenile$149
Mediation | Arbitration$328
Medical Malpractice$229
Other$262
Personal Injury$326
Real Estate$279
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$327
Traffic Offenses$319
Trusts$291
Wills & Estates$285
Worker's Compensation$76

Michigan's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Michigan law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $251. The average hourly rate for Michigan lawyers is $269 and the average for non-lawyers is $128.

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.


Michigan'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 Michigan law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $266, while the average hourly rate for Michigan lawyers is $286 and non-lawyers is $136.

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.

Michigan'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%.

Michigan's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Michigan law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 32%.

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%.

Michigan's realization rate

The realization rate for Michigan law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 87%.

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%.

Michigan's collection rate

The collection rate for Michigan law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 88%.

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%.

Michigan’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$269$286
2021 Legal Trends Report$272$289
2020 Legal Trends Report$263$280
2019 Legal Trends Report$259$275
2018 Legal Trends Report$244$260

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2022 Legal Trends Report$251$266
2021 Legal Trends Report$257$273
2020 Legal Trends Report$247$263
2019 Legal Trends Report$241$256
2018 Legal Trends Report$229$243

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2022 Legal Trends Report$128$136
2021 Legal Trends Report$139$148
2020 Legal Trends Report$140$148
2019 Legal Trends Report$134$142
2018 Legal Trends Report$131$139
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 Michigan?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Michigan is between $407 and $76 per hour, with the average being $269.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Michigan?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Michigan is $294 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Michigan?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Michigan is $276 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Michigan?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Michigan is $217 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Michigan?

Intellectual Property attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Michigan, earning $407 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Michigan?

Worker's Compensation attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Michigan, earning $76 per hour on average.