1. You want to hire me because you've been injured in an automobile accident, but you don't want to pay me an hourly rate or retainer. I accept your case by contingency fee agreement, and advance you $500 out of my own pocket to obtain the police report, your hospital records, and a special report from your doctor pertaining to the nature of the injury caused by the accident. The injury is fairly serious, but it's not severe, and there's some doubt about who caused the accident, so you decide to settle out of court for $36,500. From this sum, I would receive a $500 reimbursement of the out of pocket expenses, plus a $12,000 fee (33 1/3% of the $36,000 balance), and you would receive the remaining $24,000 in compensation for your injury.