contingency fee

noun

: a fee for services (as of a lawyer) paid upon successful completion of the services and usually calculated as a percentage of the gain realized for the client

called also contingent fee

Examples of contingency fee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Personal injury firms throughout the country charge a standard contingency fee of 33.3% of settlement, and 40-44% of any amount collected after a suit is filed. Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024 Hypothesizing a 40% contingency fee giving $44,000 to Stanley, Herdecker said $66,000 of Client 1’s money should’ve been in the account as of June 1. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024 Using the same contingency fee calculation, Herdecker theorized that $28,000 was Stanley’s and $44,000 was Client 2’s. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024 The rise of contingency fee cases kicked off a new wave of lobbying across the nation. Shalina Chatlani, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for contingency fee 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contingency fee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contingency fee was in 1905

Dictionary Entries Near contingency fee

Cite this Entry

“Contingency fee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contingency%20fee. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

contingency fee

see fee sense 2

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