Court Appointed Attorney Fee Guidelines

Effective July 1, 2022
Updated July 20, 2022

Court appointed counsel shall utilize the District Court web-based system to submit requests for approval and payment of attorney fees. Each statement submitted shall include details providing with specificity each service rendered, the date of each service rendered, and amount of time expended thereon. Further, by submitting the statement through the web-based system, counsel affirms the truth of same. 

Time Increments

Counsel shall submit time in increments of tenths of an hour as listed below:

  • 0.10 - 6 minutes
  • 0.20 - 12 minutes
  • 0.30 - 18 minutes
  • 0.40 - 24 minutes
  • 0.50 - 30 minutes
  • 0.60 - 36 minutes
  • 0.70 - 42 minutes
  • 0.80 - 48 minutes
  • 0.90 - 54 minutes
  • 00 - 60 minutes

The submission of a request for approval and payment of attorney fees shall be submitted at the conclusion of the case, unless otherwise permitted by the court. Any request for attorney fees may, but need not be, set for hearing.

Reimbursement Rates Before July 1, 2022

  • Attorney time at $75.00
  • GAL time at $75.00 per hour
  • Paralegal time at $25.00 per hour

Reimbursement Rates After July 1, 2022

  • Attorney time at $125.00 per hour and $175.00 for homicide
  • GAL time at $125.00 per hour
  • Paralegal time at $60.00 per hour

Reimbursable Costs

  • Attorney or paralegal time
  • Collect calls from incarcerated defendant clients
  • Copies or faxes, at a rate of $0.10 per page for:
    • Faxes (received only)
    • Photocopies
    • Printing of electronic court documents, emailed reports, discovery, or other electronic documents that must be printed for client review
  • Deposition fees. Court reporter expenses shall be reimbursed at the same rate allowed by the Nebraska Supreme Court.
  • Expert Witness fees. Shall be requested and approved in advance.
  • Postage
  • Reasonable Justice case searches on Nebraska.gov at the rate of $1 per case search.
  • Travel time and mileage at a rate of $37.50 for traveling to and from (roundtrip) the Lancaster County Jail or any other incarceration facility in Lancaster County. Please note that this does not include any time spent meeting with the client.

Non-Reimbursable Costs

  • Legal research subscription fees (e.g. Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw)
  • Parking for hearings
  • Time spent performing clerical duties (e.g. copying a file)
  • Travel time (except as approved in advance by the court or as described above)