Overview
The National Law Journal quoted Steptoe partner Steven Davidson in an article titled “Two DC Judges’ Rulings on Fees Could Mean Boon for Plaintiffs Lawyers.” The article, published February 17, discusses a decision by two federal judges in Washington that awarded legal fees $100,000 beyond what the federal government said was justified. Some observers say the court decisions could spell the end of the Laffey matrix, the federal government’s favored tool for determining the attorney fees owed to a legal adversary.
In the second case, US District Judge Christopher Cooper wrote in his fee award opinion that the DC Circuit found that the government had neither identified a similar submarket nor contested the complexity of the litigation.
Mr. Davidson, who gave an expert declaration on billing rates in Washington, says, “Judge Cooper’s decision really gets to the essence of it: If you can show it, you can get it.”
The full article can be read at The National Law Journal (subscription required).
