Bankr. N.D. New York cuts bankruptcy fee award 28.1% over block billing

What happened

Pick & Zabicki LLP, counsel for the fee applicant, requested $93,615.50 for 200.5 hours in the bankruptcy case. The court awarded $67,261.05, a reduction of $26,354.45, or 28.1%. The court reduced the total fee by 10% ($7,473.45) to address block billing and by another 10% ($7,473.45) to address vague entries in the fee application. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

utilizing its discretion, this Court reduces the total fee awarded by 10% to address the insufficiencies in the Fee App.

utilizing its discretion, this Court reduces the total fee awarded by 10% to address the insufficiencies in the Fee App.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a bankruptcy court will apply percentage cuts to the whole fee award when time entries are grouped together or described too generally to allow review. Even where the court does not strike individual hours, recordkeeping problems in the fee application can reduce the total recovery.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

• Record one task per entry, each with its own time.
• Write the entry when the work happens, not at the end of the week.
• If a task really is one unit of work, say what it was and what it produced.

Cite this ruling

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.