How much should I charge as a lawyer in Minnesota ?

Did you know that lawyers in Minnesota typically charge between $137 and $537 per hour, with the average being $271? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Minnesota 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 Minnesota, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Minnesota.

Hourly rates in Minnesota

Lawyers in Minnesota typically charge between $137 and $537 per hour, with the average being $271. 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 Minnesota by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$373
Appellate$335
Bankruptcy$281
Business$340
Civil Litigation$318
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$336
Collections$299
Commercial Sale of Goods$348
Construction$367
Contracts$335
Corporate$359
Criminal$304
Elder Law$155
Employment Labor$319
Family$273
Government$240
Immigration$297
Insurance$262
Intellectual Property$488
Juvenile$137
Mediation and Arbitration$268
Medical MalpracticeCurrently unavailable
Other$272
Personal Injury$225
Real Estate$285
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$528
Traffic Offenses$537
Trusts$353
Wills and Estates$303
Worker's Compensation$349

Minnesota's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for Minnesota law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $250. The average hourly rate for Minnesota lawyers is $271 and the average for non-lawyers is $146.

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.


Minnesota'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 Minnesota law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $254, while the average hourly rate for Minnesota lawyers is $276 and non-lawyers is $148.

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.

Minnesota'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%.

Minnesota's utilization rate

The utilization rate for Minnesota 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%.

Minnesota's realization rate

The realization rate for Minnesota law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 90%.

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%.

Minnesota's collection rate

The collection rate for Minnesota law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 93%.

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%.

Minnesota’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$271$276
2022 Legal Trends Report$274$281
2021 Legal Trends Report$275$282
2020 Legal Trends Report$264$271
2019 Legal Trends Report$251$257

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2023 Legal Trends Report$250$254
2022 Legal Trends Report$254$260
2021 Legal Trends Report$255$261
2020 Legal Trends Report$246$252
2019 Legal Trends Report$233$239

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$146$148
2022 Legal Trends Report$153$156
2021 Legal Trends Report$151$155
2020 Legal Trends Report$142$146
2019 Legal Trends Report$139$142
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 Minnesota?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Minnesota is between $537 and $137 per hour, with the average being $271.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Minnesota is $273 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Minnesota is $318 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Minnesota is $304 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota?

Traffic Offenses attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota, earning $537 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota?

Juvenile attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota, earning $137 per hour on average.