(a)  Form of Fee Application.  Except for those applying for fees pursuant to L.B.R. 2016-3(a), every request for professional compensation to be paid by the estate pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 330 or 331 must include:

     (1)  A completed cover sheet in substantial conformity with L.B.F. 2016-1.1;

     (2)  A fee application that contains the following information:

(A) Introduction.  The introductory statement must set forth a brief history of the case, pending matters, and future matters anticipated before closure of the case.

(B) Narrative by Category.  The professional fee application must contain a narrative that describes the work performed divided in categories of major/significant services.  Within each category, the narrative must describe:

(i)    the nature of the services;

(ii)   the results obtained, if any;

(iii) the benefits to the estate;

(iv) a general description of any additional work remains to be done with respect to the matter;

(v)   a statement of the number of hours spent on the particular matter and by whom; and

(vi) the portion of the total fee applicable to the particular category.

(C) Time Records.

(i)    The fee application must attach as a separate exhibit a copy of detailed time entries from records kept contemporaneously by the applicant, including the date of the work performed, the individual performing the services, an allocation of time spent on each task (expressed in tenths of an hour), the total fee for each task, and a detailed description of the work performed.

(ii)   No Lumping.  Daily entries by each professional must contain separate time allocations for each separate task.

(iii) The applicant must establish separate billing categories for daily time entries so that the time entries of all professionals working on a particular matter will be billed separately to that matter.

(D) Expense Records.  The applicant should retain cost/expense invoices or documentation for items over $50 in the event that the Court or an objecting party questions the expense.

(3)  No Retroactive Fees.  The application must not seek to obtain compensation for services rendered prior to the effective date of the Order approving the employment of the applicant

(4)  Jointly Administered Cases.  In jointly administered cases, the applicant must file its fee application only in the lead case.  Regardless of whether the applicant has performed services for the estate of more than one debtor, all services must be included in a single fee application.  If the applicant has performed services for more than one estate, then the fee application must include a proposed allocation of the fees to be billed to each separate estate.