Under a contingency fee agreement, common in personal injury and similar cases, your attorney's fee is calculated as a portion of whatever you recover, meaning if there's no recovery, there's typically no attorney fee owed.

The phrase "no fee" in this context generally refers specifically to the attorney's own fee for their work, not necessarily to every dollar spent pursuing the case, which is why reading the agreement's full terms matters.

Litigation involves out-of-pocket costs separate from attorney fees, such as filing fees, expert witness charges, deposition costs, and court reporter fees, and these are treated differently across fee agreements.

Some contingency agreements make the client responsible for costs whether the case wins or loses, while others deduct costs only from an eventual recovery, meaning the client owes nothing out of pocket if the case is unsuccessful. This distinction should be spelled out clearly in the agreement itself.

If you're paying your lawyer by the hour or under a flat fee for defined work, those fees are generally owed for the work actually performed, regardless of how the case ultimately turns out.

These fees are typically billed periodically and may be paid from an upfront retainer that is drawn down as work is completed, separate from any outcome-based consideration.

Before signing, read the sections addressing costs, expenses, and what happens in the event of a loss carefully, since these terms vary significantly between firms and case types.

If anything is unclear, ask your lawyer to explain the cost and fee structure in plain terms and get the answer in writing, so there's no confusion about your financial exposure if the case doesn't succeed.