Sort a federal bill of costs from an attorney-fee motion
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- Sort each claimed disbursement into a section 1920 category or into a separate attorney-fee list. Leave the prevailing-party box blank.
- What the lawyer must review
- FRCP 54(d)(1): unless a federal statute, the rules, or a court order provides otherwise, costs other than attorney's fees should be allowed to the prevailing party. Costs against the United States, its officers, and its agencies may be imposed only to the extent allowed by law. The clerk may tax costs on 14 days' notice. On motion served within the next 7 days, the court may review the clerk's action. Rule 54(d)(2): a claim for attorney's fees and related nontaxable expenses must be made by motion unless the substantive law requires those fees to be proved at trial as an element of damages. Unless a statute or a court order provides otherwise, the motion must be filed no later than 14 days after the entry of judgment, specify the judgment and the grounds, state the amount or a fair estimate, and disclose any fee agreement if the court so orders. 28 USC 1920: a judge or clerk may tax fees of the clerk and marshal; fees for printed or electronically recorded transcripts necessarily obtained for use in the case; fees and disbursements for printing and witnesses; fees for exemplification and the costs of making copies of any materials where the copies are necessarily obtained for use in the case; docket fees under section 1923; and compensation of court-appointed experts, compensation of interpreters, and salaries, fees, expenses, and costs of special interpretation services under section 1828. A bill of costs is filed in the case and, upon allowance, included in the judgment or decree. Sections 1923 and 1828 were not opened. Do not put attorney's fees into the bill of costs.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Consider narrowly defined preparation support after confirming the tool’s capability and permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Check the current court or regulator requirements, prescribed form and attachments for the intended document and filing.
- Review operative clauses in the complete document, including definitions, cross-references, schedules and inconsistencies with the instructions.
- Check the specialist’s assumptions, qualifications and limits. Obtain the relevant expert or specialist review before relying on a technical conclusion.
- Use an appropriately qualified person to verify translation and meaning, and confirm any certification required for the intended use.
- Verify the applicable jurisdiction and the version of each relevant law, rule or instrument in force at the material time.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.