Attorney's Fees and the Equal Access to Justice Act: Legal Framework   [open pdf - 565KB]

From the Document: "In 1980, Congress enacted the Equal Access to Justice Act (the EAJA, or the Act) and significantly expanded the federal government's liability to pay the attorney's fees of parties that prevail against the government in litigation or administrative proceedings. This In Focus explains the state of the law before the EAJA was enacted, outlines the government's liability for attorney's fees under the EAJA, and briefly discusses relevant congressional considerations concerning the EAJA."