A trial court erred in denying a court-appointed attorney’s “full fee request” without first making findings as to the reasonableness of the attorney fees, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled.

A trial court abused its discretion by not articulating a reason for awarding only a portion of the attorney fees that appointed appellate counsel had requested.

The Court of Appeals reversed a trial court decision denying reasonable attorney fees because his application for leave to appeal was denied “for lack of merit in the grounds presented.”