D. Maryland cuts wage and hour fee award over clerical work
Schrider v. Devlin Contracting and Maintenance, Inc et al, No. 1:24-cv-02978. District Court, D. Maryland, Judge Brendan A. Hurson. Decided . Read the opinion
The court applied the reductions below but did not state requested and awarded totals we could check against the opinion, so no overall percentage is shown.
Wage and hour · Fee applicant's counsel: Thatcher, Zavaro & Mani · Figures include costs
What happened
Thatcher, Zavaro & Mani, counsel for the fee applicant in a wage and hour case, sought attorney fees that included paralegal time. The court, Judge Brendan A. Hurson, found that the remainder of the time billed for paralegal services was for non-compensable clerical work and excluded 7.5 hours. The court did not state totals for the fees requested or awarded, and the figures include costs.
What the court said
The remainder of the time billed for paralegal services is for non-compensable clerical work.
Why it matters
The ruling shows that courts separate clerical tasks from compensable paralegal work when reviewing time records on a fee petition, and that hours billed for clerical tasks are excluded even when the overall request is otherwise supported.
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
Schrider v. Devlin Contracting and Maintenance, Inc, No. 1:24-cv-02978 (D. Md. Jan. 14, 2026) 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.
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