Should Singapore allow lawyers to charge contingency fee, i.e. they will get paid only on successful outcome of a legal case? Should this system be applied to medical specialists for expensive treatment that has a low chance of success?
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Contingency fee is only workable for cases where there's a monetisable quauntum of award to be fought over, e.g. defamation, injury, insurance, estate etc. That is, the lawyer stands a chance of a share in the award likely to be much bigger than if he simply collects the rated fees.
ReplyDeleteThis has two advantages. The lawyer won't advise the client to litigate unless the lawyer has a good measure of confidence. The client can take on much richer wrongdoer if indeed wrong has been done. Unlike the situation now, where the rich can bully the poor as the poor can't afford a lawyer.
I don't think it's feasible to tell lawyers in criminal cases, must get acquittal then get paid, or doctors, patients must recover, then get paid. Very few would want to be lawyers and doctors then.