D. Maryland cuts fee award 46.4%, including for clerical work

What happened

The fee applicant sought $4,010 in attorney fees. Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher awarded $2,150, a reduction of $1,860 or 46.4%. The court found the time claimed for preparing identical complaints had grown exponentially and was excessive. It also found that a number of full and partial entries on the fee statement were strictly clerical in nature and did not require a licensed attorney to perform the work. The court awarded fees for 7 hours.

What the court said

A number of the full and partial entries on the Kinds' fee statement are strictly clerical in nature and do not require a licensed attorney to perform the work.

The court also reduced the award for: excessive hours.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts will reduce fee awards when time entries reflect excessive hours or include clerical tasks billed as legal work. Attorneys submitting fee petitions should expect scrutiny of both the reasonableness of hours claimed and whether each entry reflects work requiring a licensed attorney.

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 D. Maryland approves and attorney fee motions in Maryland federal courts.

Figures and quotes are taken from the opinion and checked against its text. Spot an error? Email team@legaltime.ai with the case name and we will correct it. Summaries of public court opinions. Not legal advice.