With a stern reminder to the bar that "the padding of neither the bill nor the brief will be tolerated," a federal judge in Buffalo has dramatically slashed fees to a law firm that attempted to charge its $200-per-hour associate rate for labor done by an attorney who did much of her work on a case before she was admitted.
The New Paltz firm of Getman & Sweeney requested nearly $138,000 in fees and expenses for its efforts in a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) class action on behalf of exotic dancers. Western District Chief Judge William Skretny (See profile) cut the amount to about $79,000.
