Templates Universal Fee Agreement – Contingency (Bankruptcy)
Ready to Edit
Fee Agreement – Contingency (Bankruptcy) - Free Editor

Fee Agreement – Contingency (Bankruptcy)

1. Parties and Matter

  • Law Firm: [FIRM NAME], [ADDRESS].
  • Client: [CLIENT NAME], [ADDRESS].
  • Matter: Representation for a specific affirmative recovery or fee-shifting matter related to the bankruptcy case (the "Affirmative Matter"), described as: [DESCRIBE CLAIM].

Important: This agreement applies only to the Affirmative Matter. The main bankruptcy case is outside this scope and must be handled under a separate agreement.

2. Scope of Representation

The Firm will pursue the Affirmative Matter, which may include:
☐ Adversary proceeding to recover money or property
☐ Objection to claim or lien avoidance action
☐ Enforcement of rights against a creditor or third party
☐ Other affirmative relief: ________________________

3. Contingency Fee Terms

The Firm's fee is contingent upon recovery by settlement, judgment, or other resolution.

3.1 Fee Percentage Schedule

  • Pre-suit resolution: [PERCENT]% of recovery
  • After adversary proceeding filed: [PERCENT]% of recovery
  • After trial begins or appeal filed: [PERCENT]% of recovery

3.2 Fee Base

Attorney fee is calculated on:
Gross recovery (before costs are deducted)
Net recovery (after costs are deducted, if permitted by law)

If there is no recovery, no attorney fee is owed.

3.3 Statutory or Contractual Attorney Fees

If law permits recovery of attorney fees from another party, the parties agree:
☐ Any attorney fee award is paid to the Firm and credited against the contingency fee owed by Client
☐ Any attorney fee award is paid to the Firm in addition to the contingency fee, subject to applicable law
☐ Any attorney fee award belongs to Client and is treated as part of the recovery

4. Costs and Expenses

The Firm may advance costs including filing fees, service of process, court reporters, expert fees, investigators, and e-discovery vendors.

If there is a recovery, costs will be reimbursed from the recovery as set forth in the settlement statement.

If there is no recovery, costs are:
☐ Client responsibility
☐ Waived by Firm

5. Settlement Authority

Client retains final authority to accept or reject any settlement. The Firm will communicate all offers promptly and provide recommendations.

6. Termination and Withdrawal

Client may terminate representation at any time. The Firm may withdraw as permitted by applicable rules and court orders. Upon termination, the Firm may assert a lien or claim for:
1) Costs advanced, and
2) The reasonable value of services (quantum meruit), payable from any recovery, if allowed by law.

7. Fee Dispute Resolution

Fee disputes will be submitted to any applicable bar fee dispute program before litigation, if required.

8. Governing Law and Venue

This Agreement is governed by the laws of [STATE], with venue in [COUNTY], [STATE], unless otherwise required.

9. Signatures

Party Signature Date
[CLIENT NAME] __________________________ __________
[ATTORNEY NAME], [FIRM NAME] __________________________ __________
AI Legal Assistant

Fee Agreement – Contingency (Bankruptcy)

Download this template free, or draft it 10x faster with Ezel.

Stop spending hours on:

  • Searching for the right case law
  • Manually tracking changes in Word
  • Checking citations one by one
  • Hunting through emails for client documents

Ezel is the complete legal workspace:

  • Case Law Search — All 50 states + federal, natural language
  • Document Editor — Word-compatible track changes
  • Citation Checking — Verify every case before you file
  • Matters — Organize everything by client or case