Many people wonder when they first need to purchase legal services how much the average hourly billing rate for a lawyer is. The answer, like many things law, is that it varies.  The most drastic factors are experience of the attorney, location (i.e. small town or big city), and the level of expertise needed for your matter (i.e. filling out formsvs. Supreme Court petition). Top attorneys in large metropolitan areas can make up to $1,000 per hour, while inexperienced attorneys dealing with simple matters can be found at under $100 per hour.
According to a survey completed in 2009 conducted by Incisive Legal Intelligence on attorney billing rates, attorneys in rural areas and small towns charge fees in the range of $100 to $200 per hour. In big cites, the average is between $200 to $400 an hour.  Nationwide, the average lawyer hourly billing rate is $284 per hour. Smaller firms (2 to 8 lawyers) have a national average billing rate of $262 per hour. Mid-size firms (76 to 150 lawyers) have a national average billing rate of $295 per hour, while large firms (more than 150 lawyers) have a national average billing rate of $333 per hour.
Also effecting average lawyer billing rates is your geographic location. Attorneys in the Northeast charge on average $319/hr, those in the West $296/hr, South $276/hr and Midwest $264/hr.
You should also consider that many retainer agreements have you on the hook for secretarial and paralegal hourly billing, which can range up to $100/hr.
In addition to hourly billing, 88 % of respondents to the Incisive Legal Intelligence survey reported offering alternatives to the billable hour. Larger firms are more likely to offer alternatives and variations to the billable hour than smaller firms. Nearly two-thirds of respondents offer contingency fees or fixed or flat fees.