## How the limitation period applies

The controlling primary authority for Maryland statutory attorney fees - MD Code, Courts § 5-401 is **MD Code, Courts § 5-401**.

> **MD Code, Courts § 5-401.** In a civil action, the court may award to the prevailing party reasonable attorney's fees.

## Use the calculator

DocketMath's statute-of-limitations tool can model these timelines once you identify the controlling claim type and accrual date. Use the source panel for the verified primary-source citations.

[Open the Statute of Limitations calculator](/tools/statute-of-limitations)

## Sources

- [MD Code, Courts § 5-401 — Attorney's fees in civil actions](https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2023/courts-and judicial-proceedings/title-5/subtitle-4/section-5-401/)

All sources are official primary law published by `law.justia.com`.


Attorney Fees Guide for Maryland

Maryland American Rule. Friolo adopted federal lodestar methodology. No statutory numerical contingency cap. ANO-831 US-MD sweep (2026-04-23) caught and removed: (1) fabricated Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 10-501 'tier schedule' (§ 10-501 is the attorney's charging lien statute, NOT a contingency cap); (2) misattributed FEPA fee-shifter — corrected MD_SG_20_1009 (ALJ remedies) to MD_SG_20_1015 (actual prevailing-party fee provision); (3) fabricated Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-807 Anti-SLAPP fee-shifting (§ 5-807 contains no fee provision — removed entry).

42 U.S.C. § 1988 (Civil Rights Attorney's Fees)

Title VII (federal employment discrimination)

Americans with Disabilities Act

Fair Labor Standards Act

Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA)

Maryland Consumer Protection Act

Maryland Wage Payment and Collection Law

Maryland Public Information Act

Maryland Frivolous Claim Rule (MD Rules)

Maryland Health Care Malpractice Claims Act — arbitration panel bad-faith

Maryland imposes no statutory sliding-scale contingency fee cap on general tort or medical malpractice cases. Contingency fees are governed by the reasonableness standard in Md. Rule 19-301.5 (MRPC 1.5).

Maryland allows courts to award reasonable attorney fees to prevailing parties in civil actions.