Bankruptcy attorneys, one of the legal world's earliest indicators of a recession, are starting to see the signs of change even as their billing rates remain close to flat.

Average hourly rates for the 10 highest billers in an annual review of Florida court records show an $18 increase in the last year, a change several bankruptcy attorneys consider almost negligible.

“The increase is incidental,” said Robert Furr, whose firm Furr & Cohen took the No. 4 spot on the list. “I haven't raised rates in four years. The rate of bankruptcies are still much lower than they were a decade ago.”