We Collect Your Unpaid Construction Receivables on Contingency.

A contingency fee arrangement means you pay no attorney fees upfront and no hourly billing. The attorney's fee is a percentage of the amount actually recovered. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing for legal services. This structure aligns the attorney's financial incentive with yours: the attorney only gets paid when you get paid. National Lien & Bond evaluates each account to determine whether the claim profile, amount at issue, and likelihood of recovery support a contingency arrangement.

Contingency fee percentages vary based on the complexity of the claim, the amount at issue, and the stage at which recovery occurs. Construction collection contingency fees typically range from 25% to 40% of the amount recovered. Claims that settle quickly after a demand letter may carry a lower percentage than claims requiring lien foreclosure or litigation. National Lien & Bond provides a clear fee schedule before engagement so there are no surprises.

Not every unpaid invoice is suitable for contingency representation. Claims are typically declined when the debtor has raised substantial backcharges, defective work allegations, or contract disputes that create genuine liability exposure for the claimant. Small-dollar claims where the expected recovery would not justify the litigation cost are also poor candidates. Accounts where the debtor is insolvent or has no attachable assets present a high risk of non-recovery regardless of the legal merits. The attorney must evaluate whether the claim has a clear path to recovery before committing resources on a no-recovery, no-fee basis.

A backcharge is a deduction the general contractor or owner imposes for alleged deficiencies in the claimant's work, such as the cost to repair defective installations, clean up a job site, or complete punch list items the claimant left unfinished. An offset is a broader contractual right to reduce the amount owed by any debt or obligation running in the opposite direction. Both backcharges and offsets reduce the net amount recoverable and can transform a straightforward collection into a contested dispute. When a debtor asserts backcharges or offsets that approach the amount of the unpaid invoice, the claim becomes difficult to pursue on contingency because the net recovery is uncertain.

A counterclaim is an affirmative claim the debtor files against the claimant, typically alleging defective work, project delays, breach of contract, or consequential damages. Counterclaims fundamentally change the risk profile of a collection matter because the claimant is no longer just pursuing money owed but also defending against potential liability. Most contingency fee arrangements do not cover defense of counterclaims, which means the claimant may need to retain separate hourly-rate counsel to handle the defense. This is one of the primary reasons attorneys carefully screen collection claims for counterclaim risk before accepting them on contingency.

Yes, but the leverage is different. When lien rights are preserved, the attorney has a secured claim against real property that motivates quick payment. When the lien deadline has expired, recovery depends on contract claims, unjust enrichment, prompt payment act violations, or bond claims if the project was bonded. These unsecured remedies are still viable, but they often require litigation and take longer to produce results. National Lien & Bond evaluates expired-deadline accounts on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the remaining legal avenues justify contingency representation.

The strongest contingency candidates are clear-cut payment disputes where labor and materials were furnished, the work was accepted, and the debtor simply has not paid. Clean accounts with signed contracts, documented delivery, and no asserted defenses are ideal. Larger balances (typically $25,000 and above) with solvent debtors and active lien rights produce the highest recovery rates and are most likely to be accepted on a contingency basis. Retainage claims after project completion are also strong candidates because the work has already been approved.

Timelines vary by case. Many accounts resolve within 30 to 60 days through attorney demand letters, because debtors take attorney-backed collection efforts seriously. Claims requiring lien filing and foreclosure may take 3 to 6 months. Matters that proceed to litigation can take 6 to 18 months depending on the jurisdiction and complexity. National Lien & Bond prioritizes early resolution but maintains the resources and commitment to pursue full litigation when necessary.