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Glossary

Quantum meruit

Payment for the reasonable value of work already done when there is no completed contract to pay under, such as a lawyer discharged before a case ends.

Last reviewed By the Editorial team 2 min read

General information, not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state.

Quick answer

Quantum meruit is Latin for "as much as he has earned" (Cornell's legal dictionary translates it as "as much as one has deserved"). It is a way to pay someone the reasonable value of work they already did when there is no completed contract to pay them under.

In a car accident claim#

The term comes up most often when someone changes lawyers. Injury lawyers usually work on a Contingency fee. A lawyer's fee paid as a share of what you recover. If there is no recovery, there is usually no fee. Glossary, a percentage paid only if the claim brings in money. If a client lets the lawyer go partway through, there is no finished case to take a percentage of yet.

Under the ABA model ethics rules, a client can discharge a lawyer at any time, with or without cause, but may still owe payment for the lawyer's services. Many courts measure that payment by quantum meruit: the reasonable value of the work done, rather than the full percentage in the original agreement. The payment usually comes out of the eventual settlement, and how the value is measured varies by state. The guide to changing lawyers explains how the first lawyer's fee is usually handled, and contingency fees covers how the percentage works.

Example#

Questions people ask

Do you have to pay your old lawyer if you switch?

Often, yes, for the work already done. On a contingency case, the first lawyer usually seeks payment out of the recovery, either on quantum meruit or as a share of one fee with the new lawyer. Your fee agreements and state law decide the details.

Is quantum meruit the same as a contingency fee?

No. A contingency fee is a percentage of the recovery set by contract. Quantum meruit is a reasonable-value measure courts use when the contract does not settle what someone should be paid.

Sources

  1. Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Quantum meruit — meaning and reasonable value of services
  2. American Bar Association, Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Comment on Rule 1.16, [4] — as of October 2026

Last reviewed October 29, 2026 by the Accident Claim Facts editorial team. Found an error? Tell us.

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