Reasonable Lawyer Billing Rates?

[bashfullyshameless]

I'm trying to figure out a general standard for personal (civil) lawyer billing rates in the US. I used to work in the industry as a support-guy, but that was in California almost ten years ago.

If I went to an established, mid-sized law firm to be defended in a civil case, what could I expect to pay? I'm not looking for the "astronomical fees for the best lawyers ever" sort. But is $200/hour reasonable these days? Is that a joke for being too high or too low?

Again, I realize there are a thousand variables here and a lot of it comes down to the firm's rep and all that, but I'm looking to get a decent gauge. For what it's worth, I'm looking at modern-day Seattle-- so, decent-sized urban area. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[BTTap]

That's a realistic price, depending upon size of firm, type of civil practice, experience of attorney. A small-firm, reasonably experienced attorney specializing in contract/contested probate work might charge around $200. A highly experienced real estate attorney might be more like $400/hr. A quite good family law attorney is usually around $250/hr. A construction law litigator probably comes in between $200-$300/hr.