AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

2007 Consumer Law Attorney Fee Survey
Making Progress in the Private Sector

Ron Burdge has published the Second edition of his Consumer Law Attorney Fee Survey. The results should be of interest to AFSCME 3357 members, because many of us practice consumer law with UAW Legal Services Plan, albeit on a salaried basis.

Those attorneys that "eat what they kill" and seek and recover third party contingent attorney fees have seen a significant increase in rates. When I quit my private practice 10 years ago, the highest rates were somewhere around $200.00 per hour, with $150 being more common. They have increased markedly since then. According to the Burdge survey, in 2007 in Indiana, for example average hourly rates for a small firm were $323.00 per hour, up 182% since 2000. In Ohio, the average small firm rate in 2007 was $269, a 151% increase since 2000. In Ohio, big firm lawyers did better, with an average rate of $412, a 209% increase over the 7 years.

What does that mean for UAW-LSP attorneys? There is life after the plan. There's an old saw that says you have to bill three times what you take home. How many hours would you have to bill (and collect) to make a typical $55,000 UAW LSP salary? At $269, to generate gross revenue of $165,000, you would have to generate 613 billed and paid hours, just under 12 hours per week.