How much should I charge as a lawyer in Georgia ?

Did you know that lawyers in Georgia typically charge between $103 and $557 per hour, with the average being $340? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in Georgia 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 Georgia, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in Georgia.

Hourly rates in Georgia

Lawyers in Georgia typically charge between $103 and $557 per hour, with the average being $340. 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 Georgia by practice area

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


Practice Area
Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$270
Appellate$435
Bankruptcy$359
Business$353
Civil Litigation$364
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$341
Collections$286
Commercial Sale of Goods$327
Construction$269
Contracts$378
Corporate$384
Criminal$229
Elder Law$426
Employment Labor$387
Family$313
Government$334
Immigration$557
Insurance$232
Intellectual Property$397
Juvenile$103
Mediation and Arbitration$322
Medical Malpractice$229
Other$366
Personal Injury$405
Real Estate$373
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$351
Traffic Offenses$128
Trusts$359
Wills and Estates$361
Worker's Compensation$180

Hourly Rates for Georgia Law Firms

  • Not adjusted for cost of living is $315/hour

    The average hourly rate for Georgia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $315. The average hourly rate for Georgia lawyers is $340 and the average for non-lawyers is $193.

    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 $328/hour

    When it comes to adjusted rates by state (rates reflecting the cost of living in each state), the average hourly rate for Georgia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $328, while the average hourly rate for Georgia lawyers is $355 and non-lawyers is $202.

    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.

Georgia'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 31%

    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 84%

    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 91%

    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%.

Georgia’s Rates Over the Last Five Reports

Lawyer Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$355$355
2023 Legal Trends Report$299$299
2022 Legal Trends Report$313$313
2021 Legal Trends Report$299$299
2020 Legal Trends Report$292$292

Law Firm Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$328$328
2023 Legal Trends Report$274$274
2022 Legal Trends Report$289$289
2021 Legal Trends Report$279$279
2020 Legal Trends Report$274$274

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$202$202
2023 Legal Trends Report$161$161
2022 Legal Trends Report$172$172
2021 Legal Trends Report$167$167
2020 Legal Trends Report$169$169
  • 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 Georgia?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Georgia is between $557 and $103 per hour, with the average being $340.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Georgia?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Georgia is $313 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Georgia?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Georgia is $364 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Georgia?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Georgia is $229 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Georgia?

Immigration attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Georgia, earning $557 per hour on average.

What is the lowest paid type of lawyer in Georgia?

Juvenile attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in Georgia, earning $103 per hour on average.