CJA 20
Appointment of and Authority to Pay Court-Appointed Counsel
CJA 20, Appointment of and Authority to Pay Court-Appointed Counsel, is a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) voucher from the U.S. Courts. The U.S. Courts list it under Vouchers. The current version is Rev. 07/17, and the U.S. Courts page lists it as effective on July 1, 2017.
The top of the form records the case, the person represented and the court order appointing counsel. The middle is counsel's claim for in-court and out-of-court hours, travel expenses and other expenses. The bottom is for court use only: the presiding judge approves the amounts, and the chief judge of the court of appeals (or delegate) approves payment in excess of the statutory threshold. The instructions on the U.S. Courts page say that if the form is system-generated, Items 1 through 12 and 14 will be preprinted on the form.
This page explains the form in plain words and is not legal advice. You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
Location code, person represented, magistrate, district, appeals and other docket numbers in the format YY-NNNNNN-DDD, case name, payment category, type of person represented, representation type code, and up to five offenses charged.
The attorney's name, mailing address and phone, a law firm only per the instructions, and the court order: appointing counsel, co-counsel, standby counsel or substitute counsel, with the prior attorney's name and appointment dates.
Hours and amounts for arraignment and/or plea, bail and detention hearings, motion hearings, trial, sentencing hearings, revocation hearings, appeals court and other, with the rate per hour and totals.
Interviews and conferences, obtaining and reviewing records, legal research and brief writing, travel time, and investigative and other work, then travel expenses and other expenses, with grand totals.
The period of service, any appointment termination date, the case disposition code, and whether the claim is a final, interim or supplemental payment, with questions about earlier applications and payment from any other source.
Court use only: the amounts approved by the presiding judge, and the amounts approved in excess of the statutory threshold by the chief judge of the court of appeals (or delegate), with signatures and judge codes.
The U.S. Courts page says to read the instructions carefully, type or print clearly in blue or black ink, and attach an itemized statement of the date and a description of the services provided and expenses incurred.
The instructions use the format YY-NNNNNN-DDD. If two or more cases are heard or tried together, they say to complete a separate voucher for each docket number and prorate the total time.
Item 10 takes a representation type code from the list on the page, such as CC for a criminal case or MA for a motion attacking a sentence. Item 21 takes a disposition code. The page says death penalty cases use CJA Form 30.
Enter hours in hours and tenths of an hour, multiply by the hourly rate in effect at the time of service, and attach receipts for travel. The instructions ask for supporting documentation for single item expenses in excess of $50.
The instructions say time spent in common on more than one CJA representation is prorated, travel and other expenses in common are billed to one representation, and double billing is prohibited.
Check final, interim or supplemental payment, answer the questions about earlier applications and other payments, and sign and date Item 22 before submitting the claim for court approval.
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The U.S. Courts page says vouchers should be submitted no later than 45 days after the final disposition of the case, unless good cause is shown (CJA Guidelines § 230.13(a)).
The page says payment for investigative, expert and other services should be claimed directly by the service provider on CJA Form 21, Authorization and Voucher for Expert and Other Services.
The instructions list filing fees among expenses that should not be claimed, and say these fees are waived for persons proceeding under the CJA.
The page says all payments are subject to post-audit, and that time, attendance and expense records must be maintained for three years after approval of the final voucher (CJA Guidelines § 230.76).
If compensation exceeds the statutory threshold, the instructions ask for a detailed memorandum supporting that the case was complex or extended, and the voucher goes to the chief judge of the court of appeals (or delegate).
CJA 21
69 fields, 1 page
CJA 30
90 fields, 1 page
CJA 26
37 fields, 2 pages
CJA 23
71 fields, 1 page
CJA 7
25 fields, 1 page
CJA 19
2 fields, 1 page
The instructions on the U.S. Courts page split the form between appointed counsel and the court.
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Appointed counsel completes the claim, certification and claim status. The instructions say the clerk of court or other court-designated person completes the rest of the Item 13 court order, and the presiding judge and, for excess amounts, the chief judge of the court of appeals (or delegate) approve payment.
The U.S. Courts page says vouchers should be submitted no later than 45 days after the final disposition of the case, unless good cause is shown.
The page says payment for investigative, expert and other services should be claimed directly by the service provider on CJA Form 21.
The instructions say time spent in common is prorated among the representations, travel and other expenses in common are billed to one representation, and the supporting materials explain the billing method and cross-reference the cases.
General office overhead such as rent, telephone and secretarial services, personal items for the client, the cost of printing briefs (photocopying is reimbursable), fact witness fees and related costs, filing fees, and taxes paid on attorney compensation.
The instructions say Item 14 is used only if the attorney had a pre-existing agreement that CJA earnings belong to a law firm or corporation, so earnings can be reported to the IRS on a 1099 as the firm's earnings.
The U.S. Courts page says that for death penalty cases, the CJA Form 30 and the applicable type of representation codes are used.