Once an attorney provides evidence of his billing rate, the burden is upon the defendant to present evidence establishing “a good reason why a lower rate is essential.” Gusman, 986 F.2d at 1151. A defendant’s failure to do so is essentially a concession that the attorney’s billing rate is reasonable and should be awarded. Here, other than an affidavit regarding paralegal rates, the Board presented absolutely no rebuttal evidence. And while the district court recognized this fact, “[n]otably, ... Defendant has not submitted any affidavits or other evidence to contradict the $275 per hour rate ... and Mr. Howard’s evidence ... remains unrebutted,” it only applied it to the last of the five years in question. This was improper. See Pressley v. Haeger, 977 F.2d 295, 299 (7th Cir.1992) (<HOLDING>). B. The district court also abused its
holding trial court had no authority to award attorneys fees when arbitrator had stated he would not award attorneys fees holding that an award of attorneys fees under supreme court rule 38 precursor to rule 222 did not preempt an award of attorneys fees to which one is otherwise entitled and thus appellant could seek an award of attorneys fees pursuant to section 1577300 which permits an award of fees for a party prevailing in an action against a state agency holding merely that the evidence was sufficient to support the award of attorneys fees holding that a public administrator was not entitled to attorneys fees in a claim against the estate of a former guardian where the case was not one where attorneys fees were authorized and there was no evidence to support the award holding that court was required to award an attorneys billing rate where defendant had submitted no evidence on fees