Contingent fees are arrangements made between plaintiffs and the law firm that represents them in their claim. In most contingency fee arrangements, the law firm will pay for all expenses in the pursuit of the claim. These include filing and investigation costs, payment for expert witnesses and accident reconstructions, etc. The law firm will then recover their costs by taking a percentage of the final damage award. If the plaintiff loses the case, then the plaintiff is not required to reimburse the law firm for these expenses.