T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T HE I DI E B E R L Y- S HE R MAN, P et i t i on er , v. D EPA RTM EN T O F A RM Y /N A F; D I RECTO R, O FFI CE O F W O RK ERS CO M PEN SA TI O N PRO G RA M S, R esp o n d en t s. N o. 10- 73713 O W C P N o. 14- 134194 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the O ff i ce of W orkers C om p P rogram A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d F e brua ry 15, 2012 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H U G , B . F L E T C H E R , an d P A E Z , C i rcu i tJu d g es. H e id i E b e r ly - S h e rm a n p e titio n s f o rr e v ie w o f

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its R e vi e w B oa r d ( “ B R B ” ) a f f i rm i ng a n a dm i ni s tr a t i ve l a w j udge ’ s ( “ A L J ” ) a w a r d of a tt orne y ’ s f

e e s t o he ra tt orne y , C ha r l e s R obi now i t z , pur s ua ntt o the L ongs hor e a nd 

# FI LED MA R 07 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

H a rborW orke r s ’ C om pe ns a t i on A c t( “ L ongs hor e A c t ” ) , 33 U . S . C . § 901 et se q . P e t i t i one rc ont e nds tha tthe B R B e rr e d i n a f f i rm i ng a $309. 00 hour l y r a t e f or R o b i n o w i t z an d a $ 1 1 0 . 0 0 h o u rl y rat e fo r R o b i n o w i t z’ s l eg al assi st an t . B ecau se the part i es ar e f

am i l i arw i th the fa ctual and p roce du ra l hi st ory of thi s c as e, w e nee d notr e c ounti the r e . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on unde r33 U . S . C . § 921( c ) , a nd w e de ny the pe t i t i on.

“ [T ] he bu rden i s on the fe e app l i ca ntt o p rodu ce sa t i sf ac t ory e vi de nc e . . . tha tthe r e que s t e d r a t e s a r e i n l i ne w i th thos e pr e va i l i ng i n the c o m m u n ity f

o rs im ila rs e rv ic e s b y la w y e r s o f r e a s o n ab ly c o m p a r ab le s k ill, experi ence and reput at i on . ” Ch r is te n s e n v . S te v e do r i n gSe r vs . o f A m. , 557 F . 3d 1049, 1053 ( 9th C i r . 2009) ( quot i ng B lum v . Ste ns on , 465 U . S . 886, 896 n. 11 ( 1 9 8 4 ) ) . T h e B R B d id n o t e rrin c o n c lu d in g th a t R o b in o w itz f a ile d to m e e t th is bur de n. Se e V

a n Ski ke v . Di r . , Of

f i c e o f Wo rke rs ’C o mp . P r o g r a ms , 557 F . 3d 10 41 , 10 45 -46 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). T h e B R B d id n o t e rrin a f f irm in g th e A L J ’s d e c is io n to c o n s id e rth e h o u r ly r a t e s of w orke r s ’ c om pe ns a t i on a tt orne y s i n s e tt i ng R obi now i t z ’ s r a t e . A m a j or c o n s id e r a tio n in d e te rm in in g a n ap p r o p r ia te f e e a w a r d u n d e rth e L o n g s h o r e A c t is the m a rke tr a t e of

a tt orne y s e m pl oy i ng l e ga l s ki l l s s i m i l a rt o thos e r e qui r e d by L o n g s h o r e p r a c tic e . See Christense n , 55 7 F . 3d at10 53 . H er e, the A L J c on si dere d3

ra tes c h ar g ed b y w o rk er s’ co m p en sa ti o n atto rn ey s in ca lcu lati n g R o b in o w it z’s ho url y r at e bec ause the A L J det erm i ned thatw orkers ’ com pensat i on prac t i ce re qu i re s l egal ski l l s s i m i l art o tho se re qu i re d b y L on gsho re prac t i ce . S ub st ant i al evi dence s up po rt s thi s f i nd i ng . T hi s i s e spec i al l y true because L on gsho re prac t i ce is a f o rm o f w o rk e r s ’ c o m p e n s a tio n p r a c tic e . See 33 U . S . C . § 9 02 (2). T h e B R B d id n o t e rrin a f f irm in g th e A L J ’s r e f

u s a l to p la c e R o b in o w itz in the t op t e n pe r c e ntof

hi s pe e r s . T he A L J ha d a n oppor tuni ty t o obs e rve R obi now i t z ’ s f

i l i ngs i n the f

e e pr oc e e di ng a nd ha d a c c e s s t o the r e c or d f orthe ca se . T he re cord i ncl ud ed an order by a di ff er entA L J, w hi ch expl ai ned that R o b in o w itz h a d m a d e “s o p h o m o r ic ,” “c a r e le s s ,” a n d “e g r e g io u s ” e rr o r s in h is r e pr e s e nt a t i on of

E be r l y - S he rm a n. W hi l e the B R B m odi f i e d tha tor de r , i tdi d not s e t a s id e th e A L J ’s f

in d in g s r e g a r d in g th e q u a lity o f R o b in o w itz ’s w o rk . T h e r e f o r e , s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e s u p p o r ts th e A L J ’s r e f u s a l to p la c e R o b in o w itz in the t op t e n pe r c e ntof

hi s pe e r s . A ddi t i ona l l y , the A L J ’ s c ons i de r a t i on of the qu al i ty of R ob i no w i t z’ s r epre se nt at i on i n the ca se do es no tvi ol at e P e r due v . Ke nny A . ex r e l . W

i nn , ––– U . S . –––– , 13 0 S . C t . 16 62 (201 0), because unl i ke the di stri ct c our ti n P e r due , the A L J i n thi s c as e c on si dere d repres ent at i on qu al i ty onl y once w h e n d e te rm in in g th e r e a s o n ab le h o u r ly r a te . Se e id. a t1674–76 ( hol di ng tha tthe di stri ctcourterre d b y e nh anci ng a l od es t araw ar d b y 75% , base d o n p er form ance ,4

because the l od es t arm etho d i ncorpo ra t es ho url y r at es base d u po n att orney m arket val ue).

T he B R B a l s o di d note rri n a f f i rm i ng the A L J ’ s c ons i de r a t i on of O r e gon m arketra t es i nst ea d o f P ort l and m arketra t es . A n att orney’ s f ee i s “ ca l cul at ed ac cordi ng t o the prevai l i ng m arketra t es i n the re l evantcom m un i ty. ” Christense n , 557 F . 3d a t1053 ( quot i ng B lum , 4 6 5 U .S . a t 8 9 5 ) . “T h e r e le v a n t c o m m u n ity is general l y def

i ned as the forum i n w hi ch the di stri ctcourtsi t s. ” V an Ski ke , 557 F . 3d a t1046 ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks a nd c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . I n thi s c a s e , the di stri ctcourti s l ocat ed i n P ort l and, O re go n, bu ti t s j uri sdi ct i on i ncl ud es the ent i re st at e of O re go n. In l i gh tof M r. R ob i no w i t z’ s f ai l ure t o p rovi de sa t i sf

ac t ory e v id e n c e e s tab lis h in g th a t th e h o u r ly r a te f o ra tto rn e y s p r o v id in g s im ila rs e rv ic e s to L ongs hor e A c tw ork i s hi ghe ri n P or t l a nd tha n i ti s i n the r e s tof O r e gon, su b st an t i al ev i d en ce su p p o rt s th e A L J’ s rel i an ce o n O reg o n fee rates. F i nal l y, because R ob i no w i t z f ai l ed t o carryhi s burden t o p rodu ce s a t i s f a c t ory e vi de nc e s uppor t i ng hi s r e que s t e d l e ga l a s s i s t a ntr a t e , the B R B di d not e rrb y a f f irm in g th e a w a r d e d le g a l a s s is ta n t r a te . See Christense n , 55 7 F . 3d at 1055. P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.