Bankr. S.D. Texas cuts bankruptcy fee award 5.8% over clerical work

What happened

The fee applicant sought $15,992.99 under a contract fee clause. The court awarded $15,067.49, a reduction of $925.50, or 5.8%. The court denied a 0.2 hour entry dated 11/22/21 labeled gathering fee invoices, treating it as clerical work billed as legal work. No other reductions were applied.

What the court said

The entry on 11/22/21 for 0.2 hours labeled as "gathering fee invoices" is denied.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts review individual time entries on a fee petition and will disallow small charges that describe clerical tasks rather than legal work, even when the overall reduction is modest.

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

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.