How much should I charge as a lawyer in Minnesota ?

Did you know that lawyers in Minnesota typically charge between $134 and $529 per hour, with the average being $274? 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 $134 and $529 per hour, with the average being $274. 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 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$424
Appellate$232
Bankruptcy$312
Business$336
Civil Litigation$334
Civil Rights | Constitutional Law$416
Collections$273
Commercial | Sale of Goods$322
Construction$311
Contracts$327
Corporate$337
Criminal$270
Elder Law$230
Employment | Labor$346
Family$255
Government$159
Immigration$278
Insurance$225
Intellectual Property$447
Juvenile$134
Mediation | Arbitration$249
Medical Malpractice$529
Other$286
Personal Injury$202
Real Estate$296
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$330
Traffic Offenses$470
Trusts$336
Wills & Estates$296
Worker's Compensation$360

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 $254. The average hourly rate for Minnesota lawyers is $274 and the average for non-lawyers is $153.

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.


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 $260, while the average hourly rate for Minnesota lawyers is $281 and non-lawyers is $156.

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.

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 85%.
  3. Collection rate: How much invoiced work gets paid to a law firm. The national average collection rate was 89%.

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 42%, while New Hampshire 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 88%.

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%.

Minnesota's collection rate

The collection rate for Minnesota law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 92%.

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%.

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
2022 Legal Trends Report$274$281
2021 Legal Trends Report$275$282
2020 Legal Trends Report$264$271
2019 Legal Trends Report$251$257
2018 Legal Trends Report$243$249

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2022 Legal Trends Report$254$260
2021 Legal Trends Report$255$261
2020 Legal Trends Report$246$252
2019 Legal Trends Report$233$239
2018 Legal Trends Report$227$233

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2022 Legal Trends Report$153$156
2021 Legal Trends Report$151$155
2020 Legal Trends Report$142$146
2019 Legal Trends Report$139$142
2018 Legal Trends Report$138$141
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 $529 and $134 per hour, with the average being $274.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Minnesota is $255 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Minnesota is $334 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Minnesota is $270 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota?

Medical Malpractice attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota, earning $529 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 $134 per hour on average.