This city has the highest billing rates for litigators in nation, survey shows
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Litigators in the nation’s capital outpaced all other litigators on billing rates in 2023, according to a recent survey from the National Association of Legal Fee Analysis.
A quarter of full-time litigators in Washington, D.C., who responded to the survey reported billing rates of $951 to more than $1,300, which is the highest tier tracked by the association. In comparison, only 13% of litigators fell into the highest tier in San Francisco, the city with the second highest billing rates last year.
“It’s top [litigation] billing city, and it’ll probably be so for the next several years,” Terry Jesse, executive director of the National Association of Legal Fee Analysis, told Law.com. “I mean, no one comes close to Washington in terms of billing and litigation.”
More than 24,000 litigators in 24 cities participated in the National Association of Legal Fee Analysis’ annual survey of hourly billing rates, according to Law.com.
More than 2,000 litigators from D.C. responded to the survey. Nearly 200 of them reported billing rates of at least $1,201 an hour, Law.com says.
In addition to those in the highest tier, 51% of D.C. litigators reported billing rates between $701 and $950. Another 22% reported billing rates between $451 and $700.
Jesse told Law.com that the large presence of large law firms in D.C., and higher starting salaries for associates could be two factors influencing the city’s high billing rates.
