CJA Panel Attorney Case Compensation Maximums (in Non-Capital Cases) Because of the increase in the non-capital hourly rate, the waivable case compensation maximum amounts for non-capital representations increase to: • $12,300 (previously $12,100) • $8,800 (previously $8,600) • $3,500 (previously $3,400)
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On or after May 5, 2017, the case maximum is ... On or after March 23, 2018, the case maximum is ... On or after February 15, 2019, the case maximum is ... On or after January 1, 2020, the case maximum is ...
Capital Cases: There should be no formal or informal non-statutory budgetary caps on capital cases, whether in a capital trial, direct appeal, or habeas matter. For services provided in earlier capital cases, please contact the Legal and Policy Branch Duty Day Attorney at 202-502-3030.
Payments in excess of CJA compensation maximums may be made to provide fair compensation in cases involving extended or complex representation when so certified by the court or U.S. magistrate judge and approved by the chief judge of the circuit (or by an active or senior circuit judge to whom excess compensation approval authority has been delegated).
Courts are encouraged to use case-budgeting techniques in representations that appear likely to become or have become extraordinary in terms of potential cost (ordinarily, a representation in which attorney hours are expected to exceed 300 hours or total expenditures are expected to exceed 300 times the prevailing CJA panel attorney non-capital hourly rate, rounded up to the nearest thousand, for appointed counsel and services other than counsel for an individual CJA defendant).
(a) The CJA provides that the reviewing judge must fix the compensation and reimbursement to be paid to appointed counsel. If the court determines that a claim should be reduced, appointed counsel should be provided:
Such records are subject to audit and must be retained for three years after approval of the final voucher for an appointment.
(a) General office overhead includes general office expenses that would normally be reflected in the fee charged to the client. The statutory fee is intended to include compensation for these general office expenses.
The approving judicial officer should first make a threshold determination as to whether the case is either extended or complex .
If an attorney is substituted for an attorney previously appointed for a defendant in the same case, the total compensation paid to both attorneys may not exceed the statutory maximum for one defendant, unless the case involves extended or complex representation.
Published on: Friday, January 1, 2021. The federal judiciary's Defender Services Office announces that pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, there will be an increase to the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorney hourly rates.
The new case compensation maximums apply to a voucher submitted by appointed counsel if that person furnished any CJA-compensable work on or after January 1, 2021. The former case compensation maximums apply to a voucher submitted by appointed counsel if that person’s CJA-compensable work on the representation was completed before January 1, 2021
The panel attorney hourly rate increased from $195 to $197 for capital work. The new rate applies to services performed on or after January 1, 2021.
The new rate applies to services performed on or after January 1, 2021. Where appointment of counsel occurred before January 1, 2021, the new hourly compensation rate applies to that portion of services provided on or after the effective date.