How much should I charge as a lawyer in Michigan ?

Did you know that lawyers in Michigan typically charge between $90 and $452 per hour, with the average being $294? 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 $90 and $452 per hour, with the average being $294. For comparison, District of Columbia has the highest average hourly rate at $462 while West Virginia has the lowest average hourly rate at $195.

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$260
Appellate$327
Bankruptcy$334
Business$312
Civil Litigation$285
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$216
Collections$324
Commercial Sale of Goods$326
Construction$240
Contracts$298
Corporate$305
Criminal$223
Elder Law$264
Employment Labor$292
Family$306
Government$151
Immigration$452
Insurance$226
Intellectual Property$404
Juvenile$154
Mediation and Arbitration$345
Medical Malpractice$195
Other$277
Personal Injury$185
Real Estate$292
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$346
Traffic Offenses$305
Trusts$305
Wills and Estates$310
Worker's Compensation$90

Hourly Rates for Michigan Law Firms

  • Not adjusted for cost of living is $269/hour

    The average hourly rate for Michigan law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $269. The average hourly rate for Michigan lawyers is $294 and the average for non-lawyers is $138.

    For comparison:

    • District of Columbia has the highest law firm hourly rate at $427, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $192.
    • District of Columbia has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $462, while West Virginia has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $195.

  • Adjusted for cost of living is $288/hour

    When it comes 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 $288, while the average hourly rate for Michigan lawyers is $315 and non-lawyers is $148.

    For comparison:

    • Delaware has the highest law firm hourly rate at $399, while West Virginia has the lowest law firm hourly rate at $215.
    • Delaware has the highest lawyer hourly rates at $432, while Alaska has the lowest lawyer hourly rate at $219.

Michigan'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 34%.

    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 25%.

  • Realization rate 90%

    How much revenue–generating work is billed to a client after discounts or canceled fees. The national average realization rate was 87%.

    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 93%

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

    For comparison: District of Columbia has the highest collection rate for law firms at 96%, while West Virginia has the lowest collection rate for law firms at 86%.

Michigan’s Rates Over the Last Five Reports

Lawyer Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$315$315
2023 Legal Trends Report$282$282
2022 Legal Trends Report$286$286
2021 Legal Trends Report$289$289
2020 Legal Trends Report$280$280

Law Firm Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$288$288
2023 Legal Trends Report$264$264
2022 Legal Trends Report$266$266
2021 Legal Trends Report$273$273
2020 Legal Trends Report$263$263

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$148$148
2023 Legal Trends Report$147$147
2022 Legal Trends Report$136$136
2021 Legal Trends Report$148$148
2020 Legal Trends Report$148$148
  • About Clio’s Hourly Rate Data for Lawyers (Updated 2024)

    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 $452 and $90 per hour, with the average being $294.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Michigan?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Michigan is $306 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Michigan?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Michigan is $285 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Michigan?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Michigan is $223 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Michigan?

Immigration attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Michigan, earning $452 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 $90 per hour on average.