Archive for the Newsletters Category

North Dakota Court: Attorney must return unearned portion of a “nonrefundable minimum fee”

Posted On January 8th, 2014 by Legal Fee Advisors

A July, 2013 decision by the Supreme Court of North Dakota, in the case of In re Disciplinary Action Against Hoffman, 2013 ND 137, 2013 WL 3804043 (N.D., 2013), ordered an attorney to return the unearned portion of a “nonrefundable minimum fee” defined in a written legal services contract, executed by the parties. In July, […] Read More...

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California Court: $1.3 Million fee request substantially rejected in Kellogg class action settlement, due in part, to lack of billing detail

Posted On January 6th, 2014 by Legal Fee Advisors

In November, 2013, a California district court judge significantly reduced an attorney’s fee award sought by plaintiffs’ counsel pursuant to settlement of a class action suit against the Kellogg Company. The action, originally brought by plaintiffs in 2009, alleged that Kellogg had made false and misleading statements on their website, claiming that consumption of their […] Read More...

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Federal District Judge: “Proportionality and Overstaffing Justify a Reduction of 80% of the Lodestar Calculation”

Posted On August 8th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

In a June, 2013 decision, the United Stated District Court, for the Northern District of Illinois, in the case of Richardson v City of Chicago, 2013 WL 2451107 [ND Ill 2013], awarded attorneys’ fees to the prevailing plaintiff in the amount of $123,165.24, representing a 80 percent reduction of the already reduced lodestar calculation. In […] Read More...

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Federal District Court finds that imprecise billing records will grant a reduction of the total attorneys’ fees to be awarded

Posted On August 7th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

In a January, 2013 decision, the Federal District Judge Jean C. Hamilton, for the Easter District of Missouri, in the case of Lakeside Roofing Co. v Nixon, 4:10CV1761 JCH, 2013 WL 74371 [ED Mo 2013] reduced requested attorneys’ fees by 40 percent, as a result of plaintiffs’ failure to provide precise billing records and excessive […] Read More...

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Court Reduces Requested Attorney Fees By 42.4 %, Because Plaintiffs Prevailed On Only 8 % of Their Total Claims

Posted On July 23rd, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

In a April, 2013 decision, the United States Court of Federal Claims, in the case of Gregory v United States, 110 Fed Cl 400 [Fed Cl 2013] awarded attorney fees in the amount of $299,202.75 to the class of plaintiffs, under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (URA). The […] Read More...

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Big Law Lay-Offs and the “New Normal”. Is the High-End Legal Service Market Shrinking? Or are Clients Imposing Fiscal Responsibility?

Posted On July 16th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

There has been a lot of press regarding recent mass layoffs at Weil, Gotschal & Manges and downsizing at other “Big Law” firms.  The firm of 1,200 attorneys laid off 60 junior lawyers and 110 non-lawyers (roughly half secretaries).  The firm is also reducing compensation for 30 of 300 partners, who, per the 6/24/2013 NY […] Read More...

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U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Overseeing Dewey & LeBoeuf Chapter 11 Approves $17 Million in Fees and Expenses

Posted On July 8th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

As reported by Sara Randazzo in the Am Law Daily, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn has approved  9 pending applications totaling 17 million in fees and expenses in the Dewey & LeBoeuf bankruptcy.   The applications were submitted prior to the enactment/effective date of the Department of Justice’s new billing guidelines for Attorneys in Larger Chapter […] Read More...

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Federal Magistrate Reduces Total Fees By 50%

Posted On June 26th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

In March, 2013 the United States Magistrate Judge, Sheila Finnegan, in the case of Montanez v Chicago Police Officers Fico (Star No. 6284), Simon (Star No. 16497), 10 C 4708, 2013 WL 1110870 [ND Ill Mar. 18, 2013], awarded attorneys’ fees to the prevailing plaintiff in the amount of $108,350.87, representing a 50 percent reduction […] Read More...

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Department of Justice Compels Bankruptcy Counsel to Become More Accountable on Fees

Posted On June 19th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

On June 11, 2013 the DOJ announced new guidelines for payment of attorneys’ fees and expenses that may, for the first time, compel bankruptcy lawyers to become more accountable on how they charge for their services. The new rules represent the first major revision of such rules since 1996. Many have complained that the present […] Read More...

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Federal District Court Reduces Attorney Fees Award By More Than 65%

Posted On June 12th, 2013 by Legal Fee Advisors

In March, 2013 the United States District Court, for the Eastern District of New York, in the case of Husain v Springer, 41 Media L. Rep. 1760 [EDNY 2013], awarded $204,848.00 in attorney fees to prevailing plaintiffs whose First Amendment rights were ruled violated. The award was a reduction by more than 65 percent of […] Read More...

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