Court-approved attorney hourly rates: District Court, S.D. Alabama
10 approved rates from 4 fee rulings since October 20, 2024. Latest ruling Sep 22, 2026. Data as of October 20, 2026.
| Role | Median | Middle half | Range | Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney | $290 | $225 to $445 | 7 |
The court approved a lower rate than requested for 1 of 10 timekeepers (10%).
Cite these rates
$290/hr
In S.D. Alabama fee rulings since October 20, 2024, the median court-approved attorney rate was $290 an hour (7 rates).
Copy these rulings as citations
Recent S.D. Alabama rulings with the rates they approved, formatted for a fee petition. Check each ruling before citing it.
Hancock Whitney Bank v. American Rental & Entertainment, LLC, No. 1:25-cv-00395 (S.D. Ala. Sept. 22, 2026) (approving hourly rates of $260 to $315 for attorneys; $135 for a paralegal); Nutrien Ag Solutions, Inc. v. Wiggins, No. 1:25-cv-00155 (S.D. Ala. Aug. 7, 2025) (approving hourly rates of $285 to $290 for attorneys; $170 for an associate); Black v. Royal American Management, No. 1:24-cv-00229 (S.D. Ala. June 9, 2025) (approving hourly rates of $275 for a partner with 20 years' experience); BMO Bank N.A. v. Bryant, No. 1:24-cv-00006 (S.D. Ala. Apr. 17, 2025) (approving hourly rates of $445 for an attorney with 15 years' experience; $375 for an attorney with 10 years' experience; $225 for an attorney with 1 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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Hancock Whitney Bank v. American Rental & Entertainment, LLC et al
Sep 22, 2026 · Commercial · Fee cut details
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $315 $315 Attorney $260 $260 Paralegal $135 $135 The court's words
the attorneys at Helmsing, Leach, Herlong, Newman & Rouse, P.C. billed at the following rates: J. Hartley at $315/hour, J. Friedman at $260/hour, and L. Lucey at $260/hour.
J. Hartley at $315/hour, J. Friedman at $260/hour, and L. Lucey at $260/hour.
The declaration and records also show paralegals K. Mallette, M. Wells, D. Clausen, V. Christian, and M. Nicholas billed at the rate of $135/hour.
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Ivy v. Bless of God, LLC dba Stay Express Inn and Suites et al
Sep 3, 2026 · Wage and hour
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney 32 years $550 The court's words
Ivy's counsel states that he expended 23.25 hours on the case. (Doc. 10 at p. 2-3). This amount of hours with his typical hourly rate of $550 based on his 32 years of experience would result in attorney's fees totaling $12,787.00.
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Nutrien Ag Solutions, Inc. v. Wiggins
Aug 7, 2025 · Commercial
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $285 $285 Attorney $290 $290 Associate $170 $170 The court's words
Sefton provides the hourly rate for his time ($285–$290) and for his firm’s associate’s time ($170–190).
Sefton provides the hourly rate for his time ($285–$290) and for his firm’s associate’s time ($170–190).
Sefton provides the hourly rate for his time ($285–$290) and for his firm’s associate’s time ($170–190).
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Black v. Royal American Management et al
Jun 9, 2025 · Other
Role Experience Requested Approved Partner 20 years $275 $275 The court's words
Defendants’ counsel presents a rate of $275 per hour on behalf of her client. She has practiced in defense litigation for 20 years and is an equity partner at her firm.
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Apr 17, 2025 · Commercial · Fee cut details
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney 15 years $445 $445 Attorney 10 years $375 $375 Attorney 1 years $295 $225 Paralegal $195 The court's words
the Court finds an hourly rate of $445 for Mr. Chapin (an attorney with more than 15 years of experience)
$375 for Mr. Burgett (an attorney with more than 10 years of experience)
$225 for Ms. Hutchinson (an attorney with more than 1 year of experience) to be reasonable
the Court does not determine reasonable hourly rates for those individuals
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68V BTR Holdings, LLC v. City of Fairhope et al
Sep 5, 2024 · Civil rights · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Partner $175 $175 Partner $200 $200 The court's words
The hourly rates proposed here – $175 for partner time through March 2024 and $200 for partner time thereafter – is plainly reasonable.
The hourly rates proposed here – $175 for partner time through March 2024 and $200 for partner time thereafter – is plainly reasonable.
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Jul 10, 2024 · Other · Statutory rate, not in medians · Older than two years, not in medians · Fee cut details
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $450 $300 Paralegal $120 $100 Law clerk $60 The court's words
the Court finds that a rate of $300 per hour for Mr. Harris is appropriate here.
a paralegal rate of $100 per hour is reasonable under the circumstances.
Preston requests compensation for 7.5 hours of law-student work billed at a rate of $60 per hour.
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Jan 10, 2024 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $236 $236 The court's words
the Plaintiff requests $6,979.80 in attorney fees—represented to be a "compromise" amount—for 43.1 hours of federal court work performed by Plaintiff's counsel at an hourly rate of $222.50 for 5 hours, and a rate of $236.25 for 38.1 hours
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Case Name in Social Security Case - Unavailable
Jan 10, 2024 · Social Security · Statutory rate, not in medians · Older than two years, not in medians
Role Experience Requested Approved Attorney $241 $241 The court's words
The Plaintiff requests $1,539.97 in attorney fees, representing 6.4 hours of federal court work performed by the Plaintiff's counsel at an hourly rate of $240.62.
FAQ
What hourly rate does the S.D. Alabama approve for attorneys?
A median of $290 an hour across 7 approved rates in fee rulings since October 20, 2024.
How often does the S.D. Alabama cut a requested hourly rate?
For 1 of 10 timekeepers (10%) in recent fee rulings.
How do I prove a reasonable hourly rate in the S.D. Alabama?
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.