The percentage often depends on the amount itself and the circumstances of the case, and it can be negotiated between the client and the lawyer. A client does not have to pay the lawyer until after the case is over and money has been collected. If a contingent fee is used, the lawyer may work many hours and be paid nothing if he or she loses. In effect, the contingent fee operates as a safeguard against the pursuit of non-meritorious lawsuits. Our system of justice depends upon the participation and support of all citizens.
Jury service is among our most important duties as American citizens.
By willingly serving when called to jury duty, each of us helps to ensure that disputes are resolved fairly and impartially by a jury of the litigant's peers. Most court cases take a long time and involve lots of evidence. In nearly all cases most people would agree with the decisions of juries if they had the opportunity to sit with the jury and see all the evidence firsthand. In the rare situation in which a jury makes a mistake, the trial judge and the appellate courts are there to correct the problem. In spite of this unbiased system, however, the media inadvertently or otherwise encourages the general public to have an opinion on a particular jury verdict based solely upon what is printed in the paper or seen on television.