Who pays the lawyers in a class action lawsuit?
In a class action for money damages, lawyers who represent the class are generally paid out of the money that’s recovered – called a “common fund” – for the people they are representing. In class actions involving declaratory judgments or injunctive relief, lawyers may be paid by the people who hired them, or in some cases, by the people or companies they are suing. Attorney’s fee awards are subject to court review and approval. Ordinarily, if an award is made in a common fund case, it will be awarded as a percentage of the total money available for the class. A benchmark award generally accepted by the courts is approximately 25 percent of the total, although the award may be adjusted higher or lower, depending on the specific facts of a case.
A. In a class action for money damages, lawyers who represent the class are generally paid out of the recovery, i.e., “common fund” they create for the plaintiff class. In class actions involving declaratory judgments or injunctive relief, lawyers may be paid by the plaintiffs that hired them, or in some cases, by the defendants if the plaintiffs win. Attorney fee awards are subject to court review and approval. Ordinarily, if an award is made in a common fund case, it will be awarded as a percentage of the fund created for the class. A benchmark award generally accepted by the courts is approximately 25% to 35% although the award may be adjusted higher or lower depending on the specific facts of a case.
In a class action for money damages, lawyers who represent the class are generally paid out of the money that’s recovered – called a “common fund” – for the people they are representing. In class actions involving declaratory judgments or injunctive relief, lawyers may be paid by the people who hired them, or in some cases, by the people or companies they are suing. Attorney’s fee awards are subject to court review and approval. Ordinarily, if an award is made in a common fund case, it will be awarded as a percentage of the total money available for the class. A benchmark award generally accepted by the courts is approximately 25 percent of the total, although the award may be adjusted higher or lower, depending on the specific facts of a case. Return to index . . .
In a class action for money damages, lawyers who represent the class are generally paid out of the recovery, i.e., “common fund” they create for the plaintiff class. In class actions involving declaratory judgments or injunctive relief, lawyers may be paid by the plaintiffs that hired them, or in some cases, by the defendants if the plaintiffs win. Lawyers fee awards are subject to court review and approval. Ordinarily, if an award is made in a common fund case, it will be awarded as a percentage of the fund created for the class. A benchmark award generally accepted by the courts is approximately 25% to 35% although the award may be adjusted higher or lower depending on the specific facts of a case. Our class action suits are different because I do not charge lawyers fees, or any recovery fees. This is because I have my own claims against the defendants. I filed these class action suits with no expectation of gain, either directly or indirectly. The gain I expect to receive out of thi
