Other costs may be added to the final bill for services involving additional time and effort on the attorney's part. Always ask for a copy of the receipt for the retainer fee. This is used in private or civil cases, especially in accident and negligence cases and domestic relations cases. The fee is contingent upon the lawyer recovering money damages for the client. If no recovery is made, compensation may not be required.
Many states require contingent fee agreements to be in writing.
If an award is made, the fee will be a percentage of the settlement. Costs and expenses of litigation may be taken from the amount awarded or settled upon. You should ask if these costs will be subtracted from the recovery before or after the lawyer's contingent fee is calculated. For example the attorney tells you exactly what he or she charges for preparing a will, handling a divorce, the sale of property, a title examination, among other tasks. The attorney should make it clear if there are any charges.