Missing contingent percentage doesn’t doom law firm’s claims against ex-client

Commercial Litigation

By Paul B. Porvaznik

Paul B. Porvaznik is an attorney at Bielski Chapman, Ltd. and practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, landlord-tenant law, mechanic’s liens and post-judgment enforcement.

Posted December 28, 2021 11:03 AM

Reversing a trial court’s dismissal of a law firm’s quasi-contract claims against a former client, the 1st District Appellate Court recently considered the enforceability of a contingency-fee contract that was missing a material term.The plaintiff law firm in Seiden Law Group, P.C. v. Segal, 2021 IL App (1st) 200877, sued an ex-client for quantum meruit and unjust enrichment to recover the value of its fees and costs incurred in a prior lawsuit.In 2013, the client defendant hired the plaintiff law firm to petition the U.S. …

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