Tips For Attorney’s Fee Requests In The EDVA

Magistrate Judge Leonard's recent decision in Intelligent Verification Sys., Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., Civil Action No. 2:12CV525 (E.D. Va. Nov. 25, 2014), found here, offers some helpful pointers on attorney's fee applications in the EDVA. While Intelligent Verification involved an award of fees for a motion to compel, the guidance highlighted below applies to most claims for attorneys' fees:

• Provide detailed information about the attorneys' experience, including a CV. The Intelligent Verification plaintiff submitted an expert declaration stating that the expert had reviewed the CV's of the plaintiff's attorneys, but copies of those CV's were not provided to the Court. Ironically, the Court pointed out, the expert provided more information about his own experience than about the experience of the plaintiff's attorneys.