Published on: Saturday, January 1, 2022

The federal judiciary's Defender Services Office announces that there will be an increase to the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorney hourly rates.

CJA Panel Attorney Hourly Rate Increase

The panel attorney hourly rates increased from $155 to $158 for non-capital work and from $197 to $202 for capital work. The new rates apply to services performed on or after January 1, 2022. Where appointment of counsel occurred before January 1, 2022, the new hourly compensation rates apply to that portion of services provided on or after the effective date.

CJA Panel Attorney Case Compensation Maximums (in Non-Capital Cases)

Because of the increase in the non-capital hourly rate, the waivable case compensation maximum amounts for non-capital representations increase to:

Felony: $12,300 (previously $12,100)
Appeal: $8,800 (previously $8,600) 
Proceeding under 18 U.S.C. § 4106A: remains at $2,600 (previously $2,500)
(The $3,500 case compensation maximum was previously $3,400.)

The new case compensation maximums apply to a voucher submitted by appointed counsel if that person furnished any CJA-compensable work on or after January 1, 2022. The former case compensation maximums apply to a voucher submitted by appointed counsel if that person’s CJA-compensable work on the representation was completed before January 1, 2022.