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<br />of Laurel Hasson, appended as exhibit K, demonstrates that <br />the f30 rate charged for legal assistant time is well within <br />the range of prevailing rates. <br />Cefendants also direct the court's attention to exhibit <br />L. a recent newspaper article reporting on a newly published <br />national guide to leading law firms, which contains informa- <br />tion on six Denver firms. This information eiscloses. inter <br />alia. that as of June 1982. the lowest "associate" rate <br />charged for beginning attorneys by five out of six of these <br />firms was b60 per hour. that hourly rates for partners were <br />as high as E155 per hour, and that average experience Cefore <br />partnership was less than 7 years. <br />It is evident from the attached documentation that <br />the rate claimed by defendants for each of the individuals <br />involved was emminently reasonable. <br />In summary, public officials charged with enforcing <br />the law do not have the luxury accorded private litisants <br />• <br />of conditioning the time devoted to a case on the amcunt of <br />money the state stands to receive as a result. Nor can <br />they decide that actions which in their view lack merit may <br />be defended casually. Nor can their attorneys simply igncre <br />frivolous arguments or misstatements of fact made Ly their <br />opponents. Overriding public policy considerations, not to <br />mention simple prudence, prevent any such course of action. <br />-10- <br />