Professional Fees Awarded

Reporting Obligation of Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2013. In compliance with Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2013(a), the Clerk of Court maintains a public record listing fees awarded by the Court (1) to trustees and attorneys, accountants, appraisers, auctioneers and other professionals employed by trustees, and (2) to examiners. The record includes the name and docket number of the case, the name of the individual or firm receiving the fee and the amount of the fee awarded. The record is available to the public without charge. Note that under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2013, these reporting requirements do not apply to chapter 12 or chapter 13 trustees. Further, compensation to professionals employed by a chapter 11 debtor-in-possession are not reported, however, compensation paid to professionals employed by chapter 11 trustees is reported.

The Court tries to ensure the accuracy of these reports, however, the data for these reports comes from the Electronic Case Filing (ECF) system and is limited by the methods used to docket pleadings and papers, and the fact that the ECF system does not track chapter 7 fees in no-asset cases. In addition, professionals are listed by the name(s) used in the ECF docketing process. This may result in separate entries for lawyers within the same law firm, for auctioneers under a personal as well as trade name, and similar anomalies.

Accessing the Professional Fee Record. Those with electronic filing accounts in ECF or through PACER can generate a current record of fees awarded through Reports>Professional Fees Awarded. See how to establish a PACER account. Alternatively, the record of fees awarded can be viewed and printed on public computer terminals located in the Clerk's office lobby in the Seattle or Tacoma courthouse.