One reason that lawyers might prefer a contingent contract when representing a plaintiff in a tort case is that
A) lawyers are risk neutral.
B) diversification of many cases allows lawyers to reduce risk.
C) lawyers are typically confident about winning every case.
D) hourly rates for lawyers are usually very low.
QUESTION 2Suppose a plaintiff hires a lawyer to represent her in a court case. Under which of the following contracts is efficiency in risk bearing assured?
A) The lawyer is paid by the hour.
B) The lawyer receives a share of the settlement.
C) The lawyer receives a fixed fee.
D) It is impossible to determine without the degree of risk aversion for each.
QUESTION 3Under which one of the following contracts does an agent have the least incentive to behave opportunistically?
A) The agent pays a fixed fee to the principal for the right to all future payoffs.
B) The agent works for the principal on an hourly basis.
C) The agent receives a share of the profit.
D) The agent works for the principal on a per unit basis.
QUESTION 4Under which one of the following conditions would a lawyer accept a case on a contingent basis?
A) The lawyer is risk averse.
B) The client is risk loving.
C) The lawyer has several cases on a contingent basis with payoffs that are not perfectly positively correlated.
D) The lawyer is more risk averse than the client is.
QUESTION 5Suppose a plaintiff hires a lawyer to represent her in a court case. To which of the following contracts would a highly risk-averse plaintiff agree?
A) The lawyer is paid by the hour.
B) The lawyer receives a share of the settlement.
C) The lawyer receives a fixed fee.
D) The lawyer pays the client a fee for the right to the entire settlement.
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