Court-approved attorney hourly rates: District Court, M.D. Louisiana
7 approved rates from 3 fee rulings since October 20, 2024. Latest ruling Apr 30, 2026. Data as of October 20, 2026.
Fewer than 5 approved rates for any one role in the last two years. Each ruling is listed below.
Approved rates by year
| Year | Partner | Associate | Paralegal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $250 (5) |
Median approved rate by the year of the ruling (number of rates in brackets). A year shows a median at 5 or more rates. Not adjusted for inflation.
The court approved a lower rate than requested for 0 of 7 timekeepers (0%).
Copy these rulings as citations
Recent M.D. Louisiana rulings with the rates they approved, formatted for a fee petition. Check each ruling before citing it.
Combs v. Formosa Plastics Corporation, Louisiana, No. 3:25-cv-00388 (M.D. La. Apr. 30, 2026) (approving hourly rates of $500 for a partner with 29 years' experience; $270 for an associate with 4 years' experience); Jones v. Comenity Capital Bank, No. 3:25-cv-00425 (M.D. La. Mar. 27, 2026) (approving hourly rates of $475 for an attorney; $275 for an associate); Raine v. BrandSafeway, No. 3:24-cv-00265 (M.D. La. June 5, 2025) (approving hourly rates of $300 for an attorney with 35 years' experience; $240 for an attorney with 4 years' experience; $160 for a paralegal with 20 years' experience).
Rulings
Rates turn on experience, practice area, and the work done. Use these as a starting point and cite the rulings, not this page, in a fee petition.
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
May 18, 2026 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $175 $175 The court's words
The hourly rate being sought is $175 per hour. ... the Court ... agrees that 9 hours of attorney time is a reasonable amount of time and that $175 is a reasonable hourly rate.
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Combs v. Formosa Plastics Corporation, Louisiana et al
Apr 30, 2026 · Employment
Role Experience Requested Approved Partner 29 years $500 $500 Associate 4 years $270 $270 The court's words
Mr. Hardin indicates that he is a partner at Kean Miller LLP with 29 years of experience, with a billing rate of $500/hour in December 2025 and $550/hour in January 2026
Shearil Matthews is an associate at the same law firm, with 3-4 years of experience with a billing rate of $270/hour in December 2025 and $300/hour in January 2026.
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Apr 2, 2026 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $175 $175 The court's words
Plaintiff then filed the Motion seeking an EAJA fee award of $6,195.00 at an hourly rate of $175 for 35.4 hours of work.
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Jones v. Comenity Capital Bank et al
Mar 27, 2026 · Consumer protection
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $475 $475 Associate $275 $275 The court's words
Billedeaux requests an hourly rate of $475 per hour for lead counsel and $275 per hour for Mr. Young.
Billedeaux requests an hourly rate of $475 per hour for lead counsel and $275 per hour for Mr. Young.
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Mar 17, 2026 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $175 $175 The court's words
Plaintiff then filed the Motion seeking an EAJA fee award of $6,195.00 at an hourly rate of $175 for 35.4 hours of work.
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Dec 4, 2025 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $175 $175 Paralegal $75 The court's words
Plaintiff seeks an attorney fees award of $5,760.00 for 30.3 attorney hours at the hourly rate of $175.00 and for 6.1 paralegal hours at $75.00.
Plaintiff seeks an attorney fees award of $5,760.00 for 30.3 attorney hours at the hourly rate of $175.00 and for 6.1 paralegal hours at $75.00.
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Jun 5, 2025 · Other
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney 35 years $300 $300 Attorney 4 years $240 $240 Paralegal 20 years $160 $160 The court's words
the hourly rate of $300.00 for Latham, an attorney with 35 years of experience, is within the range of prevailing market rates for an attorney of his experience.
The hourly rate of $240.00 for Nicolete Kraska is arguably on the higher end for an attorney with just over four years of experience, but is not so high as to be manifestly unreasonable and require a reduction in the absence of a challenge.
the hourly rate of $160.00 for Robyn Braggs, a paralegal with over 20 years of experience, is reasonable.
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Jul 19, 2024 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $175 $175 The court's words
The hourly rate being sought is $175 per hour. ... agrees that 32.98 hours of attorney time is a reasonable amount of time and that $175 is a reasonable hourly rate.
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Jackson National Life Insurance Company v. Hays et al
May 7, 2024 · Other · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $350 $310 Attorney $310 $310 Paralegal $170 $100 The court's words
Plaintiff’s national counsel charged a rate of $350 per hour, and local counsel charged $310 per hour.
Plaintiff’s national counsel charged a rate of $350 per hour, and local counsel charged $310 per hour.
The time reports indicate that paralegal work was billed at a rate of $170 per hour. Based on recent case law, the Court finds the reasonable rate for paralegals in this locale to be $100 per hour.
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Mar 18, 2024 · Prisoner rights · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $350 Attorney $250 Paralegal $140 The court's words
93 hours were billed by attorney William Most, who bills at an hourly rate of $350 per hour
566.8 hours were billed by attorney David Lanser, who bills at an hourly rate of $250 per hour
7.9 hours were billed by paralegal Veronica Barnes, who bills at an hourly rate of $140 per hour
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Mar 18, 2024 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $150 $150 Paralegal $75 $75 The court's words
The hourly rates being sought are $150 for an attorney and $75 for a paralegal.
The hourly rates being sought are $150 for an attorney and $75 for a paralegal.
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Griffin v. REC Marine Logistics, LLC et al
Mar 8, 2024 · Other · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $300 The court's words
The reasonable number of hours here is 268.1, and the Court already found that a reasonable hourly rate here is $300/hour.
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Black Creek Contractors, L.L.C. v. Managed Millwork, L.L.C. et al
Mar 4, 2024 · Commercial · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Of counsel 20 years $795 $375 Associate 9 years $605 $250 Associate 7 years $350 $250 Associate 8 years $505 $250 Associate 5 years $500 $250 Associate 3 years $460 $250 Paralegal $295 $100 Paralegal $395 $100 The court's words
Counsel Raymond T. Fischer billed from $550 an hour in 2019 to $795 an hour in 2023. Fischer has practiced law for 20 years.
Associate Whitney Judson billed from $375 an hour in 2019 to $605 an hour in 2020. Judson has practiced law for approximately nine years.
Associate Emilia Eye billed for $350 an hour in 2020. Eye has practiced law for approximately seven years.
Associate Camille D. Griffith billed for $505 an hour in 2020. Griffith has practiced law for approximately eight years.
Associate John Robinson billed from $400 an hour in 2022 to $500 an hour in 2023. Robinson has practiced law for approximately five years.
Associate Zoe Stendara billed for $460 an hour in 2023. Stendra has practiced law for approximately three years.
Paralegal Shannon Van Vickle billed for $295 an hour in 2019.
Paralegal Brooke Floyd billed for $295 an hour from 2019 to $395 an hour in 2023.
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Northern Frac Proppants, LLC et al v. Regions Bank, NA et al
Jan 19, 2024 · Commercial · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $234 $234 Attorney $264 $264 Attorney $65 $65 The court's words
it seeks fees for McGlinchey Stafford at an "effective blended rate of $234/hr," which accounts both for the range of fees charged for individual attorneys and a "volume discount given to Regions Bank for work done under the contract.
Regions asks for fees charged by several Kean Miller attorneys at different rates but resulting in an "effective blended rate of $264/hr." Again, and as before, in the absence of any objection and based on the Court's experience, the Court finds this rate reasonable.
Similarly, Legility charged fees for multiple attorneys, but the resulting average hourly rate charged to Regions and sought here is $65.19. The Court approves this rate for the reasons set forth above.
FAQ
How often does the M.D. Louisiana cut a requested hourly rate?
For 0 of 7 timekeepers (0%) in recent fee rulings.
How do I prove a reasonable hourly rate in the M.D. Louisiana?
With evidence beyond your own declaration, usually recent awards in the same district for lawyers of similar experience. The rulings on this page can be cited directly; use the citation block to copy them.
The data is free to use under CC BY 4.0. Please credit "LegalTime Fee Cut Tracker" with a link to this page. 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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