When the lawsuit is over and you have won, your attorney will file with the court an application for attorneys' fees. The application has to include his time records and an affidavit describing his relevant legal experience and justifying his hourly rate. The application must calculate the fees based on an hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours, regardless of what kind of arrangement you have with your lawyer - even if it is pure contingency. The defendant's lawyers will do their best to reduce the amount the court will decide to award, attacking your fee application by arguing that your attorney's hourly rate is too high, he was inefficient, he did not have to assign so many associate lawyers to do a given task, or your case was only partly successful. The judge will usually reduce the fee application somewhat. The defendant then has to pay the final amount to you or to your lawyer, depending upon whether you have already paid your lawyer.