Is $900 an hour a lot for a lawyer?

$900 an hour is a lot, but it is a real price: senior partners at large firms in major markets bill $700 to over $2,000. The national norm is far lower; most US lawyers charge roughly $200 to $400 an hour, and $500 already buys serious specialist time in most cities.

Top rates do reach four figures at elite firms, though the lawyers earning them handle mergers and bet-the-company litigation, not service agreements.

The sane way to read any rate is against the stakes. Paying $900 an hour to structure a $50 million deal is cheap; paying it to review a $2,000 freelance contract is not. Match the firepower to the problem, and reserve lawyer hours for the problems that need them.

For the routine paperwork, this attorney retainer agreement template shows what standard terms look like before you pay anyone.