LegalVIEW finds rate pressure concentrated by practice and firm tier
The report also found that partners performed 30.4% of hours at Am Law 1–25 firms but 48.2% at Am Law 151–200 firms, showing why a lower rate can still produce a higher total matter cost.
Inside Practice · OCTOBER 29, 2026 · 1 MIN READ
On October 23, 2026, Wolters Kluwer’s LegalVIEW Q4 analysis reported year-to-date partner-rate growth of 10.0% in health care, 13.9% in intellectual property and 9.1% at Am Law 26–50 firms, based on a database containing more than $230 billion in invoice data. The report also found that partners performed 30.4% of hours at Am Law 1–25 firms but 48.2% at Am Law 151–200 firms, showing why a lower rate can still produce a higher total matter cost. Pricing teams should therefore defend proposals with staffing and process economics, not rate cards alone. The second-order risk is that concentrated increases and vague billing narratives give clients clearer targets for panel reviews, discounts and staffing controls.