Opinion ID: 792212
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Travel Time and Costs of Local Counsel

Text: 57 Honeywell challenges the District Court's decision to award ICO fees for its costs of travel and travel time, as well as fees for its local counsel, Edward Lloyd. We agree that, under normal circumstances, a party that hires counsel from outside the forum of the litigation may not be compensated for travel time, travel costs, or the costs of local counsel. However, where forum counsel are unwilling to represent the plaintiff, such costs are compensable. Therefore, because we have affirmed the District Court's conclusion that forum counsel were unwilling to represent ICO in this action, we affirm the District Court's decision to award compensation for travel time, travel costs, and the costs of local counsel. Of course, local counsel should be compensated based on prevailing rates in the forum of the litigation. 58 Honeywell also disputes the District Court's determination that ICO's attorneys were entitled to compensation for their travel time at their full billing rate. According to Honeywell, the District Court should have compensated the travel time of ICO's attorneys at 50% of their regular rate. In support, Honeywell notes that some courts in other jurisdictions have held that travel time should not be compensated at the same rate as time spent engaged in meaningful work. E.g., Clark v. Phillips, 965 F.Supp. 331, 336 (N.D.N.Y.1997). In response, ICO argues that the opportunity cost of travel time is the same as that of time spent working on the case, and that hours spent traveling should be compensated at an attorney's full rate. 59 We addressed this issue in Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey v. Attorney General of State of New Jersey, 297 F.3d 253, 267-68 (3d Cir.2002). In that case, we held that, in order to determine the rate at which attorneys may be compensated for their travel time, a court must look to the practice in the local community. Id. at 267. In this case, since we have concluded that the Terris firm is entitled to compensation based on prevailing rates in Washington, DC, the District Court should have determined whether attorneys in Washington are typically compensated for their travel time at their full billing rate. The District Court did not make any such finding, so we will vacate and remand this portion of the award. 15