Hourly Rates in Am Law 100® Firms: Increases and Key Drivers

Outside counsel rates are a key driver of legal spend and an important source of cost control.

Inside this report you’ll find breakdowns of timekeeper rate increases among the top 100 US law firms, sourced from Brightflag’s database of billions of dollars of analyzed outside counsel spend, including:

• How much timekeeper rates have increased in 2025—and what’s driving these trends
• Timekeeper rate benchmark data broken down by firm size, practice area, and geographical location
• Recommendations to help in-house teams negotiate better timekeeper rates
• Insights into AI’s impact on law firm rates