"As a private lawyer, I could bill $750 an hour, but I don't"
About this Quote
The subtext is defensive. In American legal culture, billing rates are shorthand for power and access, and high numbers trigger populist suspicion: Are you helping people or harvesting them? Sekulow’s construction answers that suspicion by reframing wealth as a foregone opportunity rather than an accumulated reality. It’s not “I’m expensive,” it’s “I’m worth it, and I’m choosing not to charge it.” That distinction matters rhetorically because it launders privilege into virtue.
Context sharpens the intent. Sekulow is not just any lawyer; he’s a high-profile conservative legal advocate and media presence, associated with major political and religious-right battles. In that ecosystem, credibility often depends on performing both insider competence (I could command top dollar) and outsider righteousness (I won’t exploit you). The line is calibrated for an audience that admires success but distrusts elites: it sells virtuosity and virtue in the same breath, a two-for-one that turns a fee schedule into a character argument.
Quote Details
| Topic | Money |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sekulow, Jay Alan. (n.d.). As a private lawyer, I could bill $750 an hour, but I don't. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-a-private-lawyer-i-could-bill-750-an-hour-but-163455/
Chicago Style
Sekulow, Jay Alan. "As a private lawyer, I could bill $750 an hour, but I don't." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-a-private-lawyer-i-could-bill-750-an-hour-but-163455/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"As a private lawyer, I could bill $750 an hour, but I don't." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-a-private-lawyer-i-could-bill-750-an-hour-but-163455/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.







