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

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

Therefore, as a lawyer, I should very much hesitate to take on a contingent fee the suit of one of these various victims against a promoting orchard corporation.

From Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Third Annual Meeting Lancaster, Pennsylvania, December 18 and 19, 1912 by Northern Nut Growers Association

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

The promise of a handsome contingent fee won't hurt M'liss's prospects any.

From The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales With Condensed Novels, Spanish and American Legends, and Earlier Papers by Harte, Bret