Opinion ID: 1037025
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Hourly Rate for Attorney Drew

Text: Consumers argues that the district court abused its discretion in finding that $400 per hour was a reasonable rate for Attorney Drew. See Appellant Br. at 56. When making a determination of a reasonable attorney fee, a district court begins by determining “the fee applicant’s ‘lodestar,’ which is the proven number of hours reasonably expended on the case by an attorney, multiplied by his court-ascertained reasonable hourly rate.” Adcock-Ladd v. Sec’y of Treasury, 227 F.3d 343, 349 (6th Cir. 2000). We have explained that “[a] district court has broad discretion to determine what constitutes a reasonable hourly rate for an attorney.” Wayne v. Vill. of Sebring, 36 F.3d 517, 533 (6th Cir. 1994). “A trial court, in calculating the ‘reasonable hourly rate’ component of the lodestar computation, should initially assess the ‘prevailing market rate in the relevant community.’” Adcock-Ladd, 227 F.3d at 350 (quoting Blum v. Stenson, 465 U.S. 886, 895 (1984)). The prevailing market rate is “that rate which lawyers of comparable skill and experience can reasonably expect to command within the venue of the court of record.” Id. A district court is permitted to “rely on a party’s submissions, awards in analogous cases, state bar association guidelines, and its own knowledge and experience in handling similar fee requests.” Van Horn v. Nationwide Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 436 F. App’x 496, 499 (6th Cir. 2011); see Dowling v. Litton Loan Servicing LP, 320 F. App’x 442, 447 (6th Cir. 2009) (affirming a district court’s calculation of a reasonable hourly rate based on the court’s “knowledge of local billing practices” and counsel’s customary billing rates). No. 12-1518 Waldo v. Consumers Energy Company Page 21 Here, the district court provided “a concise but clear explanation of its reasons for the fee award.” Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 437 (1983). The district court found that lead counsel “is a highly respected, experienced and accomplished practitioner in civil rights and employment litigation, and without question, exceptional in his background and skills.” Waldo, 2012 WL 1085190, at . The district court permissibly considered fee awards in other cases in the Western District of Michigan, the rates for experienced attorneys in the Grand Rapids area as reflected in the State Bar of Michigan 2010 Survey, and the court’s “familiarity with the market rates for legal services in th[e] community.” Id. at –4; see R. 317-8 (Br. in Opp. to Pl.’s Mot. for Att’y Fees and Costs, Ex. 8, at 7) (Page ID #8569) (stating that hourly billing rates in Grand Rapids were as high as $420 per hour in 2010). The court accordingly approved lead counsel’s requested hourly rate of $400. Waldo, 2012 WL 1085190, at . Although the reasonable hourly rate determined by the district court is on the high end, we find no abuse of discretion in the court’s finding that the rate of $400 per hour was “justified and reasonable based on the rate that lawyers of comparable skill and experience could reasonably expect to command within this venue.” Id. at ; see Glover v. Johnson, 934 F.2d 703, 716 (6th Cir. 1991) (holding that there was no abuse of discretion when a district court awarded an hourly rate higher than the median rate, when the district court “found that counsels’ qualifications, experience, and skill” in the relevant practice area merited a higher rate). The district court considered appropriate factors in its analysis, and its determination of a reasonable hourly rate is not outside the range of reported rates for highly experienced attorneys in the area. Thus, we conclude that the district court’s determination of the reasonable hourly rate for lead counsel was within its discretion.