DIn support of your proposed fee of $625 an hour, you cite Balderrama v. Lockheed Martin, Inc., 2015 Md. Cir. Ct. LEXIS 5 (Md. Cir. Ct. 2015). In Balderrama, the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland determined that a fee of $520 per hour was reasonable. Notably, Balderrama—being a trial court decision—is not mandatory authority that carries the weight of stare decisis or precedent. Moreover, to the extent that Balderrama is arguably relevant, that case involves attorney’s fees awarded under a fee shifting statute, and not under a contract for insurance. Id. Additionally, in that case, the attorney attained excellent results, in a complex case that required extensive discovery in a short period of time, and was tried by two attorneys with excellent reputations that have been members of the bar for approximately eight years’ your senior. Id. Therefore, your reliance on Balderrama as either mandatory or persuasive authority is misplaced.…show more content… In fact, the analysis articulated in Campbell, anticipates a post hoc rather than an a priori, assessment of the reasonableness of fees. Appendix B to the local rules for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, however, provide the following guidelines regarding the reasonable hourly rates for attorneys, which Amica intends to follow in the absence of evidence that warrants either an upward or downward departure:
a. Lawyers admitted to the bar for less than five (5) years: $150-225.
b. Lawyers admitted to the bar for five (5) to eight (8) years:
