A recent Corporate Counsel story, “Comparing Firm Billing Rates by Practice, City, Size,” reports that New York tops a list of 12 cities with the highest average partner rates for 2012.  The survey, from TyMetrix Legal Analytics and Corporate Executive Board shows that law firms charged the most for finance and securities work last year, and that partner rates in New York outpaced those in any other U.S. or Canadian city by more than $100 an hour. 

The 2013 Real Rate Report Snapshot draws on $9.5 billion worth of invoices submitted to 83 corporate clients from 2008 to 2012.  The dataset encompasses more than 4,800 law firms and 29.1 million hours billed by partners, associates, and paralegals.  Here are the top cities with the highest partner hourly rates (on average):

1. New York: $755.68
2. San Francisco: $651.33
3. Washington, DC: $649.24
4. San Jose: $634.98
5. Toronto: $634.24
6. Los Angeles: $620.34
7. Boston: $598.69
8. Chicago: $585.47
9. Calgary: $578.13
10. Houston: $549.25
11. Philadelphia: $516.56
12. Dallas: $510.32