Contingency fees 成功酬金/胜诉分成

元照英美法词典中对“Contingency fees”的释义如下：(律师)成功酬金；胜诉分成 在律师与其当事人达成的协议中，律师允诺代表当事人进行索赔，并从索赔所得的赔偿金中按一定比例分成，以此作为律师费。

A contingency fee is a form of payment to a lawyer for their legal services. In contrast to a fixed hourly fee, in a contingent fee arrangement lawyers receive a percentage of the monetary amount that their client receives when they win or settle the case. That is, generally in a contingency fee agreement, the lawyer only receives compensation if the lawyer has successfully represented the client. Further, the amount the lawyer receives is contingent upon the result the lawyer obtains and often on the phase of litigation in which the dispute settles. Contingency fees are particularly common in personal injury cases, where the successful lawyer is awarded between 20% to 50% of the recovery amount. 其具体实例如下，可供参考：

例句1

Contingency fees refers to an arrangement between lawyer and client in a civil lawsuit in which the payment of attorney’s fees is conditioned upon the successful out come of the case.

成功酬金（也叫胜诉分成）是指律师和委托人之间达成的一项协议，约定律师费的支付取决于案件最后是否胜诉。

例句2

Contingency fees are considered to be valid except where prohibited by law, considered to be against public policy, or obtained by fraud, mistake, or duress. For example, contingent-free agreements are not permitted in criminal cases, and in most jurisdictions they are not permitted in divorce or alimony proceedings.

成功酬金（的约定）被认为是有效的，除非法律禁止，或者该约定违反公共政策、又或者该约定的达成是通过欺诈、错误或者胁迫实现的。例如在刑事案件订立这种合同是非法的，大部分法域内，离婚或者赡养费的案件中也不允许订立这种合同（可参见全美律师协会《模范律师职业行为规则》〔ABA, Model Rules of Professional Conduct〕）。

例句3

The U.S. Supreme Court has observed: “Fees for legal services in litigation may be either ‘certain’ or ‘contingent’ (or some hybrid of the two). A fee is certain if it is payable without regard to the outcome of the suit; it is contingent if the obligation to pay depends on a particular result’s being obtained. (City of Burlington v. Dague, 505 U.S. 563 [1992]).

最高法院指出：在诉讼中法律服务的费用既可以是“确定的”也可以是“偶然的”（或者两者混合），如果费用并不取决于案件的结果，则这种费用是确定的，如果服务费的支付义务是否成就取决于案件的特定结果，则该费用是偶然的。

例句4

The fee must be considered reasonable and not excessive, and courts may and do examine contingent-fee arrangements to determine whether they are reasonable. Contingency fees raise ethical problems for lawyers, who are generally not supposed to have a property interest in litigation they bring on behalf of their clients. Contingent-fee arrangements are an exception to this rule.

成功酬金应该是合理的，而不能过高。法院可能以及确实会审查成功酬金合同，以确定是否合理。一般而言，律师不应在他们所代理的诉讼中有财产利益，成功酬金打破了这个规则，这给律师带来了（职业）伦理问题。

相关知识拓展：

contingent fee contract (律师)成功酬金合同；胜诉分成合同

律师与当事人之间达成的协议，协议规定：如案件败诉，律师不得收取费用；如案件胜诉，律师在所得赔偿金中按一定比例收取费用。这种合同在英格兰是非法的。在美国，在某种情况下，例如在刑事案件和离婚案件中订立这种合同也是非法的，因为其违反公序良俗(参见全美律师协会《模范律师职业行为规则》〔ABA,Model Rules of Professional Conduct〕)。在人身伤害案件中，律师大多采用这种方式收取律师费，如案件在诉讼前和解解决的，按1/3提成收费；如案件经过艰难的诉讼而解决，则分成比例高达40%。由于律师与当事人之间潜在的利益差异，因此，当通过诉讼无法寻求可能的其他赔偿金时，律师便会力劝其当事人接受保险人的保险赔偿，即使其数额极低。由于律师费是按赔偿金总额分成的，因此，在当事人支付全部诉讼费用后，律师费可能还会高于当事人赔偿所得，这是这种合同的最大弊端。