In The News

In The News . . . . BigLaw Partner Compensation Up In 2014 And N.D. Cal. District Judge Approves Target Class Action Fee Request With Some Interesting Reductions

In The News

  2014 Partner Compensation Up, But Gap Between Equity and Non-Equity Partners Is Large.      Major, Lindsey & Africa has published its 2014 Partner Compensation Survey of based upon a 4.9% response rate from 44,000 U.S. big law firm partners. It shows that average compensation for equity partners in 2014 was $716,000, up 5% from […]

In The News . . . Defense Gets SLAPP Fees In Civil Rights Starbucks Case And San Jose Law Firm Gets Higher Civil Rights Fees In Arizona Case

In The News

  Plaintiff Gets Hits With WA State Anti-SLAPP Fees For Losing Civil Rights Case.      Stopping for a cup of coffee.  1943.  John Vachon, photographer.  Library of Congress.      In DiBiasi v. Starbucks Corp., No. 12-35583 (9th Cir. Sept. 11, 2014) (unpublished memorandum decision), the Ninth Circuit affirmed a $156,797.62 fee and $18,319.79 costs awards

In The News . . . . 2014 Altman Weil Flash Survey Of “Law Firms In Transition” Has Some Interesting Trends In Law Firm Management/Client Pricing

In The News, Rates

  Discounts Are Prevalent and Nonhourly Arrangements Becoming More Common (But Maybe Not So Profitable).      Legal consultants Altman Weil have come out with their “2014 Law Firms in Transition Survey” based on receiving survey responses from 304 U.S. law firms, including 42% of the nation’s 350 largest firms (a 38% response rate out of

In The News . . . . N.D. Cal. District Judge Grants Reduced Lodestar Plus 2.59 Multiplier To Class Counsel In Bank of America Automated Call Settlement

Cases: Class Actions, Cases: Lodestar, Cases: Multipliers, In The News

  $8 Million Percentage of Recovery Request Nixed; Reductions Made for Inefficient Work Efforts and High Settlement/Mediation Work Requests.      In Rose v. Bank of America Corp., Case Nos. 5:11-CV-02390 & 5:12-CV-04009-EJD (N.D. Cal. Aug. 29, 2014) (Doc. No. 180), U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila gave final approval to a settlement of a class

In The News . . . . Federal Circuit Affirms $253,777 Fee Recovery Under Patent Fee-Shifting Statute Where Plaintiff Failed To Introduce Admissible Evidence Of Infringement

Cases: Special Fee Shifting Statutes, In The News

  Highmark/Octane Recent Decisions Did Not Require Remand.      In our “In the News” post of September 8, 2014, we explored a recent Federal Circuit decision—Highmark, Inc. v. Allcare Health Mgt. System, Inc.–remanding a fee recovery for reconsideration after SCOTUS’ 2014 Highmark/Octane decisions.      However, Homeland Housewares, LLC v. Hastie2Market, LLC, No. 2013-1537 (Fed. Cir.

News . . . . E.D. Pa. Federal Judge Denies Fee Recovery To Consulting Attorney Not Obtaining Pro Hac Vice Admission And Federal Circuit Remands Patent Fee Award For Another Look In Light of Highmark/Octane.

In The News

Consulting Attorney Providing Most of the Work Needed Pro Hac Vice Admission For Purposes of Obtaining Fees Under Federal Fee-Shifting Statute.      U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno, in Gsell v. Rubin and Yates, Case No. 13-05723 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 4, 2014), denied attorney’s fees to a “consulting” attorney doing most of the work in an

In The News . . . . Mass. Appellate Court Says In-House Counsel Can Be Compensated Under Fee-Shifting Statute And Eighth Circuit Examines Fee Recovery Issues In Genetically-Modified Rice Farmer MDL Case

In The News

       We thank our friends at NALFA for bringing two cases of interest, although outside of California, to our attention. Massachusetts Compensated Plaintiff’s In-House Counsel in Unfair Business Practices Case.      In Holland v. Jachmann, 85 Mass.App.Ct. 292, 2014 WL 1887534 (May 14, 2014), a Massachusetts appellate court decided that a corporate plaintiff’s in-house

In The News . . . . Attorney Reprimanded For Billing Client For Discovery Sanctions Re: Attorney Conduct And Another Attorney Told He Has To Wear Socks In Court

In The News

  Iowa Reprimands Illinois Attorney on Discovery Sanctions Pass-Through Attempt.      Based on a recent ABA Journal on-line post, an Illinois attorney has been reprimanded in Iowa for billing a client for discovery sanctions imposed for the attorney’s own conduct. Gotta Wear Socks In Blackford County, Indiana.      The ABA Journal end-of-the-week posts also indicate

In The News . . . . Catalyst Theory Will Support Fee Recovery For ERISA Plaintiffs Having Some Degree Of Success In Case

In The News

  Despite Losing Summary Judgment, Defendant Did Voluntarily Change Behavior From Plaintiffs’ Suit.      The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, in a non-precedential (unpublished) opinion, has decided that an ERISA plaintiff can recovery fees, at the district court’s discretion, under a catalyst theory. In Boyle v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 863 Welfare Fund, No.

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