How much should I charge as a lawyer in Minnesota ?

Did you know that lawyers in Minnesota typically charge between $148 and $524 per hour, with the average being $305? 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 $148 and $524 per hour, with the average being $305. 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 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$336
Appellate$331
Bankruptcy$295
Business$352
Civil Litigation$310
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$333
Collections$257
Commercial Sale of Goods$378
Construction$340
Contracts$334
Corporate$361
Criminal$265
Elder Law$175
Employment Labor$336
Family$268
Government$255
Immigration$370
Insurance$232
Intellectual Property$524
Juvenile$148
Mediation and Arbitration$255
Medical Malpractice$219
Other$292
Personal Injury$265
Real Estate$314
Small Claims$308
Tax$447
Traffic Offenses$457
Trusts$402
Wills and Estates$324
Worker's Compensation$341

Hourly Rates for Minnesota Law Firms

  • Not adjusted for cost of living is $283/hour

    The average hourly rate for Minnesota law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $283. The average hourly rate for Minnesota lawyers is $305 and the average for non-lawyers is $162.

    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 $290/hour

    When it comes 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 $290, while the average hourly rate for Minnesota lawyers is $312 and non-lawyers is $166.

    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.

Minnesota'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 30%

    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 88%

    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 93%

    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%.

Minnesota’s Rates Over the Last Five Reports

Lawyer Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$312$312
2023 Legal Trends Report$276$276
2022 Legal Trends Report$281$281
2021 Legal Trends Report$282$282
2020 Legal Trends Report$271$271

Law Firm Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$290$290
2023 Legal Trends Report$254$254
2022 Legal Trends Report$260$260
2021 Legal Trends Report$261$261
2020 Legal Trends Report$252$252

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$166$166
2023 Legal Trends Report$148$148
2022 Legal Trends Report$156$156
2021 Legal Trends Report$155$155
2020 Legal Trends Report$146$146
  • 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 Minnesota?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in Minnesota is between $524 and $148 per hour, with the average being $305.

How much does a family lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in Minnesota is $268 per hour.

How much does a civil litigation lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in Minnesota is $310 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in Minnesota?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in Minnesota is $265 per hour.

What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota?

Intellectual Property attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in Minnesota, earning $524 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 $148 per hour on average.