The attorney's fee: compensation for the work
The contingency fee is the attorney's own compensation for handling the case — calculated as a percentage of the settlement or award. It's earnings, not a reimbursement, and it's what the attorney keeps for taking on the risk and the work of the case.
Case costs: real expenses the case required
Case costs are something entirely different: actual out-of-pocket expenses the case genuinely needed. This typically includes expert witness fees, court filing fees, the cost of obtaining medical records, deposition transcripts, and similar litigation expenses. These are reimbursed, not earned.
A short deadline that compresses the timeline
Tennessee imposes a one-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims — among the shortest in the country. That compressed window can mean less time to investigate a claim, gather records, and retain experts before filing, which can concentrate case costs earlier in the process than in states with a longer filing deadline.
A particular pressure point for malpractice claims
Building a medical malpractice case typically requires expert review to establish both the standard of care and causation — work that takes real time. Against Tennessee's short filing deadline, that expert work often has to happen on a tighter timeline than in states with longer windows, which can concentrate the associated case costs into the period immediately following the injury.
Who fronts the money while the case is pending
Commonly, the attorney's office advances case costs as the litigation proceeds, with reimbursement coming out of the eventual settlement or award. Given the compressed timeline Tennessee's deadline can create, it's worth confirming directly with a specific attorney how costs are handled, including what happens to them if the case doesn't result in any recovery.