Motions for attorney’s fees shall be filed with the trial court within thirty days following the date on which the final judgment of the trial court was rendered. If appellate attorney’s fees are sought, motions for such fees shall be filed with the trial court within thirty days following the date on which the Appellate Court or Supreme Court rendered its decision disposing of the underlying appeal. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect an award of attorney’s fees assessed as a component of damages.
Section 11-21.Motions for Attorney’s Fees
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceSets a thirty-day deadline for filing a motion for attorney’s fees with the trial court, measured from the trial court’s final judgment or, for appellate fees, from the Appellate or Supreme Court’s decision on the underlying appeal.
Full Text of Section 11-21
Amendment History
(Adopted June 29, 1998, to take effect Jan. 1, 1999.) Sec. rect Court For previous Histories and Commentarie corresponding to the years o
Plain-English Summary
Section 11-21 tells a party how long it has to ask the court for attorney’s fees after winning a case. The motion must go to the trial court — not the appellate court — within thirty days of the date the trial court rendered final judgment. If the fees being sought are for work done on an appeal, the thirty-day clock instead runs from the date the Appellate Court or Supreme Court decided the appeal.
The rule carves out one exception: it doesn’t touch attorney’s fees that are part of the damages awarded in the case itself, as opposed to fees requested afterward by separate motion. Those remain governed by whatever substantive law allows them as an element of the judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a motion for attorney’s fees in Connecticut?
Thirty days from the date the trial court rendered its final judgment, or, for appellate fees, thirty days from the date the Appellate Court or Supreme Court decided the underlying appeal.
Where do I file a motion for appellate attorney’s fees?
With the trial court, even though the fees relate to work done on appeal. Section 11-21 directs all attorney’s fees motions to the trial court that rendered the underlying judgment.
Does this rule apply to attorney’s fees included as part of my damages award?
No. Section 11-21 says nothing in it affects an award of attorney’s fees that was assessed as a component of damages in the judgment itself.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 11-21). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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