Opinion ID: 2364360
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Was the Amount of Attorneys' Fees Excessive?

Text: The defendants assert that the award of attorneys' fees of $12,383 is excessive, given the amount of the award and the degree of Keystone's success. The defendants do not contest the rate charged by Keystone's counsel, nor the number of hours billed. Instead, they are contesting the amount of the attorneys' fees compared with the amount of the award. The defendants argue that an attorneys' fees award of $12,383  when the award is only $11,075  is unreasonable and constitutes an abuse of the trial court's discretion. It is well within the authority of the trial justice to make an attorneys' fees award determination after considering the circumstances of the case. Schroff, Inc. v. Taylor-Peterson, 732 A.2d 719, 721 (R.I.1999) (per curiam). The trial justice is in the unique position of observing the attorneys requesting the fees and is better able to judge the merits of a particular request. This trial justice observed firsthand the work product of counsel throughout the trial and thus was better situated to assess the course of litigation and the quality of counsel. An award of attorneys' fees pursuant to § 34-28-19 rests within the discretion of the trial judge. It is well settled that on review, [t]he decision of the trial court made in the exercise of a discretionary power should not be disturbed unless it clearly appears that such discretion has been improperly exercised or that there has been an abuse thereof. Frank N. Gustafson & Sons, Inc. v. Walek, 599 A.2d 730, 733 (R.I.1991) (quoting Matracia v. Matracia, 119 R.I. 431, 438, 378 A.2d 1388, 1391 (1977)). A trial justice determines the reasonableness of the fee by considering the factors enumerated in Rule 1.5. See Colonial Plumbing & Heating Supply Co. v. Contemporary Construction Co., 464 A.2d 741, 743 (R.I.1983). These factors include the following: the time and labor required; the novelty and difficulty of the questions involved; the skill requisite to perform the legal service properly; the amount involved and the results obtained; and the time limitations imposed by the client or by the circumstances. Here, Keystone submitted an affidavit from an attorney supporting the reasonableness of the fees. The defendants argue that the affidavit was deficient because it was submitted before the trial justice made her decision and thus did not consider the result of the trial as required by Rule 1.5. We note, however, that the trial justice was clearly aware of the result of the trial when she awarded the fees. The trial justice noted that Keystone's counsel was substantially successful in pursuing this collection matter for his client. We find no abuse of discretion by the trial court justice and accordingly affirm the award of attorneys' fees.