contingent fee

American  

noun

1. a fee paid to a lawyer conducting a suit, especially a suit for damages, in the event that the suit is successful and generally based on a percentage of the sum recovered.

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Example Sentences

Arbitration can keep plaintiffs from banding together into a class action, and in that way attracting a lawyer to take on their case for a large enough contingent fee.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

Attorney fees can be a trap. Whether you pay your attorney hourly or on a contingent fee basis, factor in the cost of your attorney when you’re addressing taxes.

From Forbes • Jul. 6, 2015

Now of course there are valid reasons for a contingent fee arrangement and a 33% award if and when there is an award.

From Forbes • Jun. 4, 2014

He paid a contingent fee and was listed as one of the competitors.

From Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout, or, the Speediest Car on the Road by Appleton, Victor [pseud.]

In a number of cases the claimants had contracted with local attorneys upon the basis of a contingent fee of 50 per cent, of whatever might be awarded.

From Neutral Rights and Obligations in the Anglo-Boer War by Campbell, Robert Granville