Federal Judge Says Paul Clement Isn't Special Enough To Command Insane Hourly Rates

How much was this superstar attorney trying to charge his client?

Plaintiff baldly asserts that “Plaintiff hired attorneys with skills, experiences, and reputations not easily comparable to or found in local counsel,” but offers no support for this contention. Plaintiff does not identify what specific expertise or skills his attorneys possessed that attorneys within the Northern District of New York do not possess….

Accordingly, the Court finds that the prevailing hourly rates for the Northern District of New York are the appropriate guide for reasonable hourly fees in this case.

— Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York, giving the reasons for slashing Paul Clement’s customary $1,100 hourly rate to $300 per hour when awarding attorneys’ fees in Osterweil v. Bartlett, a Second Amendment case.

(For what it’s worth, $1,100 was Clement’s hourly rate in 2011, when he was began representing Osterweil. Clement’s current hourly rate is $1,350. Osterweil would’ve been getting a deal!)

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