What is your billing rate per hour? Forum

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Anonymous User
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What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:07 pm

By the time I left as a 5th year BigLaw associate several years ago, I think I was close to $600/hour. So:

(1) What's your billing rate per hour?
(2) What year are you?
(3) Where do you work: BigLaw, Medium Law, Small Law?

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:35 pm

3rd year at a litigation boutique. Rate varies somewhat based on the matter, but is typically in the high 600s or low 700s

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 6:26 pm

5th year, biglaw, $995-$1100 depending on matter.

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:26 pm

Left as a 4th year in small/mid law awhile ago, billed at out $350-$400 in a major market.

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:51 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:07 pm
By the time I left as a 5th year BigLaw associate several years ago, I think I was close to $600/hour. So:

(1) What's your billing rate per hour?
(2) What year are you?
(3) Where do you work: BigLaw, Medium Law, Small Law?
(1) $700-$1050
(2) Third
(3) BigLaw - M&A/Capital Markets

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Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:34 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:51 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:07 pm
By the time I left as a 5th year BigLaw associate several years ago, I think I was close to $600/hour. So:

(1) What's your billing rate per hour?
(2) What year are you?
(3) Where do you work: BigLaw, Medium Law, Small Law?
(1) $700-$1050
(2) Third
(3) BigLaw - M&A/Capital Markets
Your answer to number one makes no sense

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 11:21 pm

$780, second year big law

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:06 am

Fourth year, BigLaw Rx - $1,025

Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 8:44 am

Fourth year
Biglaw (recently lateraled to a v5)
$1,300

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Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:49 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:34 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:51 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:07 pm
By the time I left as a 5th year BigLaw associate several years ago, I think I was close to $600/hour. So:

(1) What's your billing rate per hour?
(2) What year are you?
(3) Where do you work: BigLaw, Medium Law, Small Law?
(1) $700-$1050
(2) Third
(3) BigLaw - M&A/Capital Markets
Your answer to number one makes no sense
It doesn't make sense to you that law firms charge a range of rates depending on the client, matter type, etc.?

thisismytlsuername

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by thisismytlsuername » Mon Aug 23, 2021 10:48 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Aug 23, 2021 8:44 am
Fourth year
Biglaw (recently lateraled to a v5)
$1,300
What the fuck. What a broken industry.

Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:23 pm

$915
2nd year
V5 cap markets

Best

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Best » Mon Aug 23, 2021 3:09 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:34 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:51 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:07 pm
By the time I left as a 5th year BigLaw associate several years ago, I think I was close to $600/hour. So:

(1) What's your billing rate per hour?
(2) What year are you?
(3) Where do you work: BigLaw, Medium Law, Small Law?
(1) $700-$1050
(2) Third
(3) BigLaw - M&A/Capital Markets
Your answer to number one makes no sense
It does. Some firms have ranges or give the associates a minimum, national/market, and a regional rate for the partners to select when adding them to a matter. Different clients have different sensitivities/expectations, and firms want to maximize that. I think almost every firm lets the partners negotiate a lower rate for you as well.

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Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 3:20 pm

Last time I saw a bill with me on it, I was billed at $1075 as a rising fifth year (I.e., was at the firm in my fifth year there, but it wasn't January yet so I was still being paid as a fourth year). Cap markets V5.

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 3:46 pm

5th year, L&E, Secondary big-market, cravath-paying firm.

720/hr

anonguest

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by anonguest » Mon Aug 23, 2021 4:07 pm

One good source for this type of info is from the final fee applications filed in bankruptcy cases. They not only list the year, department, and billing rate of every attorney that billed during the case but also the average that categories of timekeepers at the firm (i.e. partners, senior associates, etc) billed overall in the prior year.

2013

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by 2013 » Mon Aug 23, 2021 5:23 pm

I think the crazy high numbers are all at the same V5, which is notorious for its insanely high rates.

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almostperfectt

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by almostperfectt » Mon Aug 23, 2021 5:41 pm

2013 wrote:
Mon Aug 23, 2021 5:23 pm
I think the crazy high numbers are all at the same V5, which is notorious for its insanely high rates.
Which firm?

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 6:09 pm

2013 wrote:
Mon Aug 23, 2021 5:23 pm
I think the crazy high numbers are all at the same V5, which is notorious for its insanely high rates.
I'm a 3rd year at a v50 and last I saw, I was billed out at right around 1k.

2013

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by 2013 » Mon Aug 23, 2021 7:40 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Aug 23, 2021 6:09 pm
2013 wrote:
Mon Aug 23, 2021 5:23 pm
I think the crazy high numbers are all at the same V5, which is notorious for its insanely high rates.
I'm a 3rd year at a v50 and last I saw, I was billed out at right around 1k.
That isn’t the crazy high # I was talking about. Also, if you’re at a V50 billing that much, my guess is that you’re at FF.

I was talking about the 4th year at $1300, which I think has to be SullCrom. I think a similar discussion occurred on another forum and these were the SullCrom numbers. They had first years at like $1k.

Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 7:43 pm

Sixth year, patent lit V25, 1050/hr
Last edited by Anonymous User on Tue Oct 12, 2021 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 23, 2021 8:09 pm

Nonequity partner at west coast V100. My rate is $900 an hour. Seeing some firms charge this for second/third years is . . . wow.

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 24, 2021 2:08 pm

Small market "big"law, 1st year corp. $350-400

Anonymous User
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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 24, 2021 4:38 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 5:07 pm
By the time I left as a 5th year BigLaw associate several years ago, I think I was close to $600/hour. So:

(1) What's your billing rate per hour?
(2) What year are you?
(3) Where do you work: BigLaw, Medium Law, Small Law?
(1) $690/hr.
(2) Fourth year.
(3) Biglaw in SF/SV, EC/VC.

SFSpartan

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Re: What is your billing rate per hour?

Post by SFSpartan » Tue Aug 24, 2021 4:54 pm

Seeing some of the rates in this thread are...wow. Anyway, here are mine:

1. $935 currently. Going to $1k in October

2. 5th year, soon to be 6th year

3. Biglaw EC/VC, Silicon Valley

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


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