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

Did you know that lawyers in West Virginia typically charge between $92 and $400 per hour, with the average being $195? 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 $92 and $400 per hour, with the average being $195. 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 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$183
Appellate$176
BankruptcyCurrently unavailable
BusinessCurrently unavailable
Civil Litigation$223
Civil Rights and Constitutional Law$367
CollectionsCurrently unavailable
Commercial Sale of GoodsCurrently unavailable
Construction$250
Contracts$223
CorporateCurrently unavailable
Criminal$105
Elder LawCurrently unavailable
Employment Labor$329
Family$242
Government$204
Immigration$233
Insurance$250
Intellectual Property$400
Juvenile$92
Mediation and Arbitration$201
Medical MalpracticeCurrently unavailable
OtherCurrently unavailable
Personal Injury$304
Real EstateCurrently unavailable
Small ClaimsCurrently unavailable
Tax$256
Traffic Offenses$200
Trusts$306
Wills and Estates$265
Worker's CompensationCurrently unavailable

Hourly Rates for West Virginia Law Firms

  • Not adjusted for cost of living is $192/hour

    The average hourly rate for West Virginia law firms (which includes both lawyers and non-lawyers) is $192. The average hourly rate for West Virginia lawyers is $195 and the average for non-lawyers is $158.

    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 $215/hour

    When it comes 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 $215, while the average hourly rate for West Virginia lawyers is $219 and non-lawyers is $177.

    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.

West Virginia'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 74%

    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 86%

    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%.

West Virginia’s Rates Over the Last Five Reports

Lawyer Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$219$219
2023 Legal Trends Report$178$178
2022 Legal Trends Report$189$189
2021 Legal Trends Report$183$183
2020 Legal Trends Report$187$187

Law Firm Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$215$215
2023 Legal Trends Report$176$176
2022 Legal Trends Report$183$183
2021 Legal Trends Report$181$181
2020 Legal Trends Report$186$186

Non-Lawyer Hourly Rates

Legal Trends Report
Hourly Rate
Adjusted Hourly Rate
2024 Legal Trends Report$177$177
2023 Legal Trends Report$163$163
2022 Legal Trends Report$138$138
2021 Legal Trends Report$158$158
2020 Legal Trends Report$174$174
  • 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 West Virginia?

The hourly rate for a lawyer in West Virginia is between $400 and $92 per hour, with the average being $195.

How much does a family lawyer charge in West Virginia?

The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in West Virginia is $242 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 $223 per hour.

How much does a criminal lawyer charge in West Virginia?

The average hourly rate for a criminal lawyer in West Virginia is $105 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 $400 per hour on average.

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

Juvenile attorneys are the lowest paid type of lawyer in West Virginia, earning $92 per hour on average.