The attorneys in class action lawsuits are generally paid on a contingency basis which means that they receive a percentage of the final recovery to compensate them for their time (attorney fees) and expenses (costs). Such fees and costs must be approved by the court to ensure that they are reasonable. If there is no recovery, the class representative is not responsible for paying any attorney fees or costs.

Class action lawsuits are permitted under Federal law and the law of most states. This form of lawsuits permits individuals who may not be able to afford the expenses of an individual lawsuit to bring a lawsuit on behalf of themselves and others.