Investing in Justice: Can You Profit from Contingency Fee Work
Wisconsin Lawyer, Vol. 70, No. 1, 1997
Posted: 3 Dec 1998
Abstract
This article is a brief report of a survey of Wisconsin contingency fee practitioners regarding the ways that contingency fees are calculated and the typically hourly returns that are achieved. Only a little over half the cases reported in the survey involved a straight "one-third" contingency fee; most of the rest involved a variable fee depending on the stage of case disposition. In addition, about 10% of cases involve a reduction in the fee called for under the contingency fee agreement. The hourly returns achieved from contingency fee cases, when examined across a set of cases, reflect a premium over the typical hourly rates charged by lawyers in Wisconsin, although much of that premium results from a small subset of the contingency fee cases.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation