contingency fees
Lawyer's percentage arrangement
Contingency fees are legal fees paid only if the case is won.
A lawyer working on contingency takes a percentage of any settlement or award—typically between 25 and 40 percent—rather than billing hourly.
If the client loses, the lawyer receives nothing.
The arrangement makes legal representation accessible to clients who couldn't otherwise afford it: She couldn't pay upfront, so her attorney took the case on contingency.
- risk-sharingDistributing potential losses collectively
- access to justiceRight to legal remedies
- retainer agreementsPrepaid professional availability arrangements
- hourly ratePay calculated by time
- out of pocketPaid from personal funds
no win no fee · class action lawsuits · contract law · conflict of interest · tort law · pro bono work · fiduciary duty · financial incentives · attorney-client privilege · professional misconduct · court approval · undue influence · cost-benefit analysis · judicial oversight · public perception · personal injury · profit margins · revenue streams
- feesfee, service fee, service charge, flat fee, annual fee
- legal feeshourly rates, legal costs, billing, court costs, fee structures
- civil litigationlawsuits, plaintiffs, defendants, verdicts, judgments
- legal costscourt costs, filing fee, legal expenses, litigation costs, retainer
- legal ethicslegal ethics, attorney-client privilege, professional conduct, privilege, code of ethics
- legal malpracticelegal malpractice, professional negligence, malpractice, breach of duty, duty of care
contingency feeshourly billing
Payment calculated per hour
hourly rates · fixed fees · billable hours · flat fee · fixed fee
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