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

Did you know that lawyers in New Jersey typically charge between $180 and $537 per hour, with the average being $348? Understanding how your hourly rate compares to other lawyers in New Jersey 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 Jersey, average hourly rates by practice area, hourly rates adjusted for cost of living, and the utilization, realization, and collection rates in New Jersey.

Hourly rates in New Jersey

Lawyers in New Jersey typically charge between $180 and $537 per hour, with the average being $348. 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 New Jersey by practice area

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


Practice Area
Average Hourly Rate
Administrative$355
Appellate$336
Bankruptcy$423
Business$333
Civil Litigation$345
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$453
Collections$393
Commercial Sale of Goods$455
Construction$343
Contracts$357
Corporate$446
Criminal$334
Elder Law$325
Employment Labor$376
Family$353
Government$249
Immigration$314
Insurance$226
Intellectual Property$456
Juvenile$250
Mediation and Arbitration$427
Medical Malpractice$537
Other$340
Personal Injury$290
Real Estate$365
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$465
Traffic Offenses$505
Trusts$438
Wills and Estates$397
Worker's Compensation$180

Hourly Rates for New Jersey Law Firms

  • Not adjusted for cost of living is $329/hour

    The average hourly rate for New Jersey law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $329. The average hourly rate for New Jersey lawyers is $348 and the average for non-lawyers is $194.

    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 $302/hour

    When it comes to adjusted rates by state (rates reflecting the cost of living in each state), the average hourly rate for New Jersey law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $302, while the average hourly rate for New Jersey lawyers is $319 and non-lawyers is $178.

    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.

New Jersey'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 35%

    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 83%

    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%.

New Jersey’s Rates Over the Last Five Reports

Lawyer Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$319$319
2023 Legal Trends Report$281$281
2022 Legal Trends Report$289$289
2021 Legal Trends Report$283$283
2020 Legal Trends Report$276$276

Law Firm Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$302$302
2023 Legal Trends Report$267$267
2022 Legal Trends Report$271$271
2021 Legal Trends Report$268$268
2020 Legal Trends Report$261$261

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$178$178
2023 Legal Trends Report$160$160
2022 Legal Trends Report$146$146
2021 Legal Trends Report$143$143
2020 Legal Trends Report$163$163
  • 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 New Jersey?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in New Jersey is between $537 and $180 per hour, with the average being $348.

How much does a family lawyer charge in New Jersey?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in New Jersey is $353 per hour.

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

The average hourly rate for a civil litigation lawyer in New Jersey is $345 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in New Jersey?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in New Jersey is $334 per hour.

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

Medical Malpractice attorneys are the highest paid type of lawyer in New Jersey, earning $537 per hour on average.

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

Worker's Compensation attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in New Jersey, earning $180 per hour on average.