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Conservatorship of Elmira Phillips

Case Number

19PR00416

Case Type

Conservatorship

Hearing Date / Time

Mon, 06/10/2024 - 08:30

Nature of Proceedings

Petition for Attorney’s Fees

Tentative Ruling

Probate Notes:

Appearances required.

The petition is recommended for approval, with a reduction.

Attorney for Conservatee proffered several entries that appear to be a “minimum billing time” of .2 hours (12 minutes) each, billed at $400/hr (for $80 each entry).  The Court should not approve these entries in full. 

Many of the entries are for reviewing emails or tentative rulings that required no response, and would not require an ordinary attorney doing the same work 12 minutes to complete.  The following are examples:

Work Performed Time Spent Rate Billed Amount Charged
Case Review: Tentative Ruling .2 $400 $80
Case Review: Capacity Declaration .2 $400 $80
Review email: [Sender] .2 $400 $80

There are at least 31 entries in the billing statement that are similar to those above, equaling $2,480 of the $9,243 bill, or 26% of the bill overall. 

It is recommended the Court cut these fees by at least half, because it is highly unlikely it took more than 6 minutes of time performing these tasks.

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