This Comment examines changes in the 1996 attorney's fees provisions from a cost/benefit perspective. Part II reviews recent legislative efforts to reform the APA and the major forces behind the 1996 revisions. Part III summarizes the available ways to collect attorney's fees in administrative proceedings after the 1996 changes. Part IV briefly describes the emergence of fee-shifting statutes in the United States and examines various types of fee-shifting mechanisms. Part V presents a detailed cost/benefit analysis of the 1996 attorney's fees provisions. Finally, Part VI proposes several changes to the new attorney's fees provisions. These changes are aimed at minimizing costs while still accomplishing the Legislature's goals.
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