Law other than the LDA governs whether a firm may be retained on a contingent-fee basis.

The collection agency, Ms. Thompson said, will be paid on an hourly basis rather than on a contingent-fee basis, as is usually the case with such agencies.

The firm is representing 31 of the states on a contingent-fee basis: no victory, no fee; but with victory, plenty in fees.

As most product-liability cases are taken on a contingent-fee basis, plaintiffs' lawyers have little incentive to waste their time, energy and money on matters that have no reasonable prospect of success.

In his decision, the judge wrote: "Individual tobacco litigants have great difficulty finding competent attorneys who are willing to bring an action on a contingent-fee basis against tobacco manufacturers for health-related claims.

He retained an attorney on a contingent-fee basis and filed a civil suit against his employer alleging employment discrimination against his employer.

In the second case, Sigitas J. Banaitis, a vice president of the Bank of California, retained an attorney on a contingent-fee basis and sued the bank and its successor in ownership, the Mitsubishi Bank, for interference with his employment agreement and wrongful discharge.

Some jurors wonder whether lawyers should be barred from accepting cases on a contingent-fee basis, even though that would punish poor people who can't hire a competent lawyer any other way.

Mr. Sonosky and two colleagues had joined the case in 1956 on a contingent-fee basis, so they received no payment for 24 years.

At first he was anxious to take it on a contingent-fee basis.