How much should I charge as a lawyer in West Virginia ?

Did you know that lawyers in West Virginia typically charge between $125 and $500 per hour, with the average being $162? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in West Virginia 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 West Virginia, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in West Virginia.

Hourly rates in West Virginia

Lawyers in West Virginia typically charge between $125 and $500 per hour, with the average being $162. 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 West Virginia by practice area

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


Practice Area Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$283
Appellate$125
Bankruptcy$437
Business$309
Civil Litigation$306
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$191
Collections$268
Commercial Sale of Goods$279
Construction$310
Contracts$272
Corporate$331
Criminal$143
Elder Law$295
Employment Labor$313
Family$258
Government$192
Immigration$383
Insurance$186
Intellectual Property$500
Juvenile$137
Mediation and Arbitration$280
Medical MalpracticeCurrently unavailable
Other$258
Personal Injury$415
Real Estate$301
Small Claims$210
Tax$335
Traffic Offenses$254
Trusts$290
Wills and Estates$302
Worker's Compensation$167

West Virginia's hourly rates not adjusted for cost of living

The average hourly rate for West Virginia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $160. The average hourly rate for West Virginia lawyers is $162 and the average for non-lawyers is $148.

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.


West Virginia'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 West Virginia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $176, while the average hourly rate for West Virginia lawyers is $178 and non-lawyers is $163.

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.

West Virginia'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%.

West Virginia's utilization rate

The utilization rate for West Virginia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 35%.

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%.

West Virginia's realization rate

The realization rate for West Virginia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 78%.

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%.

West Virginia's collection rate

The collection rate for West Virginia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is 87%.

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%.

West Virginia’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$162$178
2022 Legal Trends Report$168$189
2021 Legal Trends Report$163$183
2020 Legal Trends Report$166$187
2019 Legal Trends Report$158$178

Law Firm Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Law FirmsAdjusted Hourly Rates for Law Firms
2023 Legal Trends Report$160$176
2022 Legal Trends Report$163$183
2021 Legal Trends Report$161$181
2020 Legal Trends Report$165$186
2019 Legal Trends Report$154$173

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rate/Adjusted Hourly Rate

Legal Trends ReportHourly Rates for Non-LawyersAdjusted Hourly Rates for Non-Lawyers
2023 Legal Trends Report$148$163
2022 Legal Trends Report$123$138
2021 Legal Trends Report$141$158
2020 Legal Trends Report$155$174
2019 Legal Trends Report$111$125
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 West Virginia?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in West Virginia is between $500 and $125 per hour, with the average being $162.

How much does a family lawyer charge in West Virginia?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in West Virginia is $258 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in West Virginia?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in West Virginia is $306 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in West Virginia?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in West Virginia is $143 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in West Virginia?

Intellectual Property attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in West Virginia, earning $500 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in West Virginia?

Appellate attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in West Virginia, earning $125 per hour on average.