MT SB39

Requires all attorney fee awards in civil lawsuits to be "reasonable" and mandates detailed documentation including date, timekeeper name, specific task descriptions, time billed in tenth-of-hour increments, itemized expenses with receipts, and disclosure of prior payment arrangements

Creates rebuttable presumption that certain practices are unreasonable: sending more than one attorney to depositions, more than two attorneys to trial/oral arguments, charging for phone calls/faxes/library/research subscriptions, or billing above statewide average rates for attorneys with less than 10 years experience

Caps in-house copying expenses at 10 cents per page and prohibits block billing or aggregating of tasks

Requires courts awarding attorney fees against the state to consider the hourly rate charged by the state's attorney and explain any award exceeding that rate

Exempts attorney fee claims under $10,000 from these requirements and applies to all civil lawsuits pending on or after the effective date