Township Council Meeting — Agenda

MON L 002616-17 05/13/2019 Pg 9 of 11 Trans ID: LCV2019843985 notes that Mr. Cafferty was admitted to practice law in 1972 and Ms. Griffin has been practicing law since only 2009. Defendant of $325 for Charlotte Howells, who has been practicing law for some 5 years, is as high as the highest hourly rate ever awarded by a New Jersey Court to experienced OPRA attorneys in a New Jersey case that Defendants [sic] were able to find. This assertion is puzzling, considering bot brief and attachments reveal Mr. Cafferty was awarded $425 an hour in a Somerset County matter nearly a decade ago. 2 Defendant also asks the court to consider the hourly rates, between $265 and $315, awarded to Walter Leurs. There is no question that Mr. Leurs, who has appeared before this court, is professional, competent, and well versed in the intricacies of OPRA and the common law right of access. However, like Ms. Griffin, he is not nearly as experienced as Mr. Cafferty. Regarding the number of hours expended, defense counsel submitted two briefs that total nearly twenty pages. U submissions lack any analysis regarding how many hours should have been performed on a particular task. However, a careful review by this court reveals that the total number of hours was excessive. As noted previously, Mr. Cafferty is one of the most experienced First Amendment lawyers in New Jersey. Likewise, his associates have worked with him in this specialized area of law for years. Consequently, one would expect that they would be able to complete a task in fewer hours than counsel who are relatively unfamiliar with this area of law. be grouped into several areas: 1) preparation of the complaint; 2) pla opposition and motion to dismiss; 3) the 2Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. d/b/a/ Gannett New Jersey Newspapers/Courier- News v. Borough of Raritan, Civil Action No. SOM-L-1798-09. 7 Pa039