E.D. Louisiana cuts commercial fee award 28.4%, including for clerical work

What happened

The fee applicant sought $4,235 for 12.1 hours in a commercial case. The court awarded $3,030, a reduction of $1,205 or 28.4%. It excluded 1.5 hours spent on administrative tasks such as assembling exhibits, finding that time was not properly included as legal work. It also reduced the hourly rate, citing the routine nature of the motion and the applicant's regular billing range. The awarded hours totaled 10.1.

What the court said

further finds that time spent on administrative tasks (1.5 hours) such as assembling exhibits is not properly included

The court also reduced the award for: hourly rate reduced.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts separate administrative tasks from legal work when reviewing time records, and that a claimed rate can be adjusted to reflect the routine nature of the work and the attorney's usual billing range.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

• Leave purely clerical work off the fee petition.
• Describe paralegal tasks so the substantive work is clear.
• Split mixed entries into their substantive and clerical parts.

Cite this ruling

See hourly rates the E.D. Louisiana approves and attorney fee motions in Louisiana federal courts.

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