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L. Rule 2016. COMPENSATION OF PROFESSIONALS

(a) Form of Application.

Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, an application for compensation and reimbursement of expenses for a professional retained pursuant to Court order shall also include:

(1) A Fee Application Summary in the form of Appendix L-2016-a-2; the Summary must include a summary description of the services rendered by category, reflecting the total cost of each category of services and summarizing the nature and purpose of each category of services rendered, and the results obtained;

(2) A Compensation Support Exhibit reflecting contemporaneous time records itemizing services rendered by category, in a format which reflects a description of each service entry, the amount of time spent rendering that service, the date the service was performed, who performed that service, and the hourly rate of the person performing that service; and

(3) A Reimbursement Support Exhibit, reflecting invoices, records and/or receipts for expenses incurred. The date, time, and amount of each expense shall be shown. Any single expense in excess of $100.00 shall be supported by a receipt or invoice, except for in-house postage, telephone, and photocopying charges.

(b) Procedure for Applying for Compensation in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 Cases.

(1) The Fee Application Summary must be served pursuant to L. Rule 9013 upon any secured creditor whose cash collateral is used by the estate (and such creditor’s counsel), any committee appointed in the case (and such committee’s counsel), the twenty largest unsecured creditors, any trustee appointed in the case (and such trustee’s counsel), the debtor (and debtor’s counsel), and the United States Trustee.

(2) Any party in interest may obtain a copy of the Compensation Support Exhibit and Reimbursement Support Exhibit at no charge by requesting a copy of same from the professional seeking compensation.

(3)  A joint application can be filed for jointly administered cases. The Court reserves the right to order that fees be allocated at the time of the final fee application.

(c) Procedure for Compensation in Chapter 13 Cases.

(1) The Chapter 13 trustee shall review the attorney’s fee charged in each case and shall make a recommendation concerning the reasonableness of the compensation requested. If the Court agrees with the trustee’s recommendation, then confirmation of the Chapter 13 plan shall also constitute Court approval of the fees requested. The Court may, on its own motion, set a hearing to review the attorney’s fee requested, which hearing may be conducted at the same time as the confirmation hearing scheduled in the case. The Court in each division may set a flat fee for routine non-business Chapter 13 cases, and a flat fee for routine business Chapter 13 cases. Notwithstanding said flat fee, an attorney may, for cause shown, request a higher fee.

(2) An attorney representing a debtor under Chapter 13 shall be the attorney of record from the filing of the petition for relief under Chapter 13, if signed by the attorney, or from the filing of a notice of appearance until the close or dismissal of the case (including disposition of motions to reinstate), unless relieved from representation by order of the Court.

(3) Standing Orders for each division govern compensation in Chapter 13 cases and are posted on the Court’s website at: Standing Orders Index