How much should I charge as a lawyer in New Mexico ?

Did you know that lawyers in New Mexico typically charge between $162 and $323 per hour, with the average being $244? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in New Mexico 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 New Mexico, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in New Mexico.

Hourly rates in New Mexico

Lawyers in New Mexico typically charge between $162 and $323 per hour, with the average being $244. 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 New Mexico by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$206
Appellate$214
Bankruptcy$285
Business$299
Civil Litigation$199
Civil Rights | Constitutional Law$232
Collections$276
Commercial | Sale of Goods$285
Construction$286
Contracts$308
Corporate$244
Criminal$255
Elder Law$221
Employment | Labor$225
Family$278
Government$263
Immigration$181
Insurance$177
Intellectual Property$295
Juvenile$245
Mediation | Arbitration$323
Medical MalpracticeCurrently unavailable
Other$253
Personal Injury$174
Real Estate$272
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$231
Traffic Offenses$175
Trusts$285
Wills & Estates$272
Worker's Compensation$162

New Mexico's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for New Mexico law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $220. The average hourly rate for New Mexico lawyers is $244 and the average for non-lawyers is $131.

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.


New Mexico'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 New Mexico law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $231, while the average hourly rate for New Mexico lawyers is $257 and non-lawyers is $138.

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.

New Mexico'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%.

New Mexico's utilization rate

The utilization rate for New Mexico law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 33%.

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%.

New Mexico's realization rate

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

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%.

New Mexico's collection rate

The collection rate for New Mexico law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 89%.

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%.

New Mexico’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$244$257
2021 Legal Trends Report$243$256
2020 Legal Trends Report$239$251
2019 Legal Trends Report$230$242
2018 Legal Trends Report$233$245

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2022 Legal Trends Report$220$231
2021 Legal Trends Report$219$230
2020 Legal Trends Report$216$227
2019 Legal Trends Report$212$223
2018 Legal Trends Report$214$225

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2022 Legal Trends Report$131$138
2021 Legal Trends Report$134$141
2020 Legal Trends Report$132$139
2019 Legal Trends Report$122$129
2018 Legal Trends Report$121$127
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 New Mexico?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in New Mexico is between $323 and $162 per hour, with the average being $244.

How much does a family lawyer charge in New Mexico?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in New Mexico is $278 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in New Mexico?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in New Mexico is $199 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in New Mexico?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in New Mexico is $255 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in New Mexico?

Mediation | Arbitration attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in New Mexico, earning $323 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in New Mexico?

Worker's Compensation attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in New Mexico, earning $162 per hour on average.