Federal Appeals Court Surprises Everyone by Embracing the Contingency Fee as the 'Key to the Courthouse Door'
By Leslie A. Brueckner, Public Justice Senior Attorney
On May 18, 2010, a federal appeals court issued a ringing endorsement of the value of contingency fees in preserving access to justice. The case is In re Abrams & Abrams, No. 09-1283, which challenged a district court judge's refusal to honor a contingency fee agreement between the parties to a personal injury lawsuit.
In reversing the district court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit wrote that contingency fees play a crucial role in our legal system because they “provide access to counsel for individuals who would otherwise have difficulty obtaining representation.”
Public Justice, along with the American Association for Justice, had filed an amici brief in the case urging the Court to rule as it did. READ MORE.
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