Opinion ID: 39707
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Factual Finding of Inadequacy of Preparation

Text: Finally, Walker & Patterson challenges the bankruptcy court’s finding that Walker & Patterson failed to prepare the case adequately for the first confirmation hearing. In light of -12- our deferential standard of review, we also decline to disturb this finding of fact. The bankruptcy court is in a better position to make this factual determination than we are, particularly because it presided over the Chapter 13 proceeding and confirmation hearing at issue. See United States Golf Corp., 639 F.2d at 1207-08 (recognizing “the importance of the bankruptcy judge’s closeness to the issues raised in an application for attorneys’ fees; the bankruptcy judge has not only presided over the evidentiary hearing, but also had the opportunity to observe the performance of the attorney throughout his employment in the bankruptcy court.”). According to the bankruptcy court, Walker & Patterson moved to postpone the first confirmation hearing because it was unprepared, and throughout the case it provided services that were “minimally timely to avoid dismissal of the case for delay prejudicial to creditors.” Cahill, Order Allowing Fees for Debtors’ Counsel at 5. Given the bankruptcy court’s superior position to make this determination and because nothing in the record leads us to believe that this finding was clearly erroneous, we will not reverse it. See In re Acosta, 406 F.3d 367, 373 (5th Cir. 2005) (“If the bankruptcy court’s account of the evidence is plausible in light of the record viewed as a whole, we will not reverse it.”).