Opinion ID: 8312766
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Use of Multiple Attorneys

Text: First, Defendant contends that Plaintiff unreasonably seeks fees for time spent by  two attorneys when one attorney would have been sufficient. Def.'s Opp'n, ECF No. 27, 17-18. As Defendant notes, when a plaintiff uses multiple attorneys when only one is necessary, compensation should be denied for the excess time. Copeland v. Marshall , 641 F.2d 880 , 891 (D.C. Cir. 1980). Due to the relatively straightforward nature of the case, which involved only 153 documents and did not require summary judgment briefing, the Court concludes that one attorney well versed in FOIA litigation could have adequately represented plaintiff in this matter. Bloomgarden v. U.S. Dep't of Justice , 253 F.Supp.3d 166 , 179 (D.D.C. 2017). Accordingly, the presence of two attorneys, both with over a decade of experience, was not reasonable and the Court will not allow Plaintiff to recover fees for the work of her second attorney, Mr. Mastriani. The Court will reduce Plaintiff's fee award on this ground because the presence of two attorneys resulted in the unnecessary duplication of efforts and fees. A large portion of Mr. Mastriani's time entries include reviewing the work that Plaintiff's other attorney, Mr. Watkins, had already completed. For example, on July 26, 2017, Mr. Watkins finalized and submitted the complaint in this matter. Dec. of Seth A. Watkins, ECF No. 24-1, 7. That same day, Mr. Mastriani requests fees for reviewing the finalized FOIA complaint and filing papers. Id. And, on August 2, 2017, Mr. Watkins emailed with the Court and Defendant in preparation for a teleconference. Id. at 8. That same day, Mr. Mastriani requests fees for reviewing the emails between Mr. Watkins and the Court and between Mr. Watkins and defense counsel. Id. Again, on October 15, 2017, Mr. Watkins sent Plaintiff an email concerning the progress of her FOIA litigation. Id. at 12. That same day, Mr. Mastriani requests fees for reviewing the email that Mr. Watkins sent to Plaintiff. Id. These three sets of time entries are merely examples of the myriad of times that the presence of two attorneys resulted in the duplication of efforts and unreasonable attorneys' fees. Despite the duplication of efforts that the Court has identified, Plaintiff argues that the use of two attorneys was reasonable on two grounds: because Defendant also used more than one attorney in the litigation and because both Mr. Mastriani and Mr. Watkins were representing Plaintiff in her appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The Court is convinced by neither argument. First, Plaintiff contends that because Defendant used multiple attorneys throughout the litigation, it was reasonable for Plaintiff also to use multiple attorneys. But, the fact that the government made use of more than one attorney does not make it reasonable for Plaintiff to have done the same. As salaried employees rather than attorneys who are compensated for billable hours, government attorneys regularly work as part of litigation teams with supervising attorneys reviewing and approving the work of junior attorneys. The fact that using multiple attorneys is the usual practice for the government does not lead to the conclusion that Plaintiff also required multiple attorneys, given the nature of the case. Second, Plaintiff argues that, because both Mr. Watkins and Mr. Mastriani worked on her veterans' claim appeal, both attorneys also needed to work on this FOIA litigation. But, even if two attorneys were required for her appeal, that does not lead to the conclusion that two attorneys were required for this straightforward FOIA case. And, because the issues are distinct, the factual and legal knowledge that Mr. Mastriani may have gained by working on Plaintiff's appeal would not  have been necessary or materially useful to Plaintiff in her FOIA litigation. Accordingly, the Court concludes that it was unreasonable for two attorneys to represent Plaintiff in this FOIA matter. As such, the Court will eliminate in full the time entries for Mr. Mastriani.