Contracting for legal services on a contingent fee basis

Wis. Stat. § 20.9305
in effect
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(1) Except as provided in sub. (2), an agency in the executive branch may not contract for legal services on a contingent fee basis. (2) (a) The prohibition under sub. (1) does not apply if the governor makes a written determination that contracting for legal services for the state on a contingent fee basis is cost-effective and in the public interest. In the written determination, the governor shall include all of the following: 1. A finding that the attorney general’s office lacks sufficient and appropriate legal and financial resources, which necessitates the need to contract for the legal services. The governor shall consult with the attorney general in making this finding. 2. The estimated amount of time and labor required to perform the legal services, including the novelty, complexity, and difficulty of the legal issues involved and the required skill. 3. The venue in which the litigation would likely occur. 4. The amount of experience with similar legal issues or cases needed for the particular type of legal services to be provided. (b) If the governor makes a determination under par. (a), the governor shall request the department of administration to invite bids to be submitted. The department of administration shall invite bids and shall ensure that the notice of the bidding process contains any pertinent requirements in this section. Following the bidding process, the secretary of administration shall recommend a responsible bidder to the governor, who shall make the final determination. The governor may determine that inviting bids is not feasible and the governor shall set forth the basis for this determination in writing. (c) 1. No contract entered into under this subsection may provide an aggregate contingency fee excluding reasonable costs and expenses, as determined by the court with jurisdiction over the action, that is more than any of the following: a. If the recovery is less than $10 million, 25 percent of the recovery. b. If the recovery is at least $10 million but less than $15 million, the sum of $2,500,000 and 20 percent of the amount by which the recovery exceeds $10 million. c. If the recovery is at least $15 million but less than $20 million, the sum of $3,500,000 and 15 percent of the amount by which the recovery exceeds $15 million. d. If the recovery is at least $20 million but less than $25 million, the sum of $4,250,000 and 10 percent of the amount by which the recovery exceeds $20 million. e. If the recovery is at least $25 million, the sum of $4,750,000 and 5 percent of the amount by which the recovery exceeds $25 million. 2. The aggregate contingency fee for one action under this subsection may not exceed $30 million, excluding reasonable costs and expenses as determined by the court with jurisdiction over the action, without regard to the number of attorneys retained or the number of lawsuits filed. A contingency fee may not be based on penalties or fines or any amounts attributable to penalties or fines. (f) An attorney who is party to a contract entered into under this subsection shall, during the period beginning from the date the contract is entered into until 4 years after the contract and all of its extensions expire or are terminated, do all of the following: 1. Maintain records, including documentation of all expenses, disbursements, charges, credits, receipts and invoices, and other financial transactions, that relate to the provision of the legal services under this subsection. 2. Make all records maintained under subd. 1. available, upon request, for inspection and copying as provided under s. 19.35 (1). 3. Maintain current records detailing the time, in increments no greater than one-tenth of an hour, that attorneys and paralegals spent working under the contract and provide the record, as soon as practically possible, to the governor upon request. (g) Annually, no later than February 1, the governor shall submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) that describes the use of contingency fee contracts under this subsection. The report shall include all of the following: 1. All contracts entered into under this subsection in the year prior to the submittal of the report and all contracts that were active in the year prior to the submittal of the report. The report shall include for each contract all of the following: a. The name of the attorney and the attorney’s law firm with which the agency has contracted. b. The nature and status of the legal matter under contract. c. The name of the parties to the legal matter. d. The amount of any recovery. e. The amount of any contingency fee paid. 2. Copies of written determinations made under par. (a).
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/20.9305Fetched: 10/7/2026