IDS can reimburse you for paralegal work. For the time of an in-house paralegal or legal assistant, IDS will reimburse at a rate of $15 per hour, not to exceed a total of 35 hours (or $525) per case per attorney. You do not need the court’s prior authorization.
Some things to keep in mind:
IDS can only reimburse for paralegal or legal assistant work that is directly related to a case file. We cannot reimburse for routine administrative office tasks.
You should submit a timesheet for paralegal work. You just need to attach it to the same email you use to send your fee request.
Paralegals work under your supervision pursuant to RPC 5.3, Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistants.
You should bill paralegal time in tenths of an hour.
You do not need to submit an itemized timesheet for paralegal time; however, IDS reserves the right to request additional documentation, including paralegal timesheets, should we identify any possible discrepancy in your billing.
Things IDS can reimburse for:
- Legal research
- Preparation for trials or hearings
- Correspondence with clients
- Interviews and interview summaries
Things IDS cannot reimburse for:
- Opening a file, including adding a client to your office management software, the spreadsheet, or creating a folder
- Answering the phone