Padding hours is one thing. Leaving a paper trail is something else. And quoting $200 an hour and then asking the court to award $500 an hour is over the top even by legal standards.
And finally, there are two sets of ethics application - on set for the solos and small firms, another set for the megafirms.
“And finally, there are two sets of ethics application - on set for the solos and small firms, another set for the megafirms.”
I hired a mega-firm once as I already knew the junior attorney. The first billing wiped out my entire budget. Since they literally hadn’t done anything my buddy looked into it. It turns out they never billed less than $3,000/month. They didn’t try to justify it, that’s just what they did. They had clients like oil companies and tire manufacturers. Apparently, big companies never even notice. My buddy had me pay the bill and he did all the rest of the work at home on his own. (He was awesome.)