A New York-based legal reform group known as Our Common Good, a bi-partisan coalition based in New York; whose board includes such notables as Newt Gingrich, Paul Simon, and George McGovern, has filed a petition with the Ohio Supreme Court to limit attorney fees in some personal injury cases. The group has also filed petitions with 11 other states to change how attorneys charge contingency fees in settlements of personal injury cases.
The group wants contingency fees capped at 10% for the first $100,000 of a settlement and 5% on any amount above that. Standard attorney contingency fees typically amount to one-third of the damage award. In March 2003, The AMC/NOMA signed the Common Good petition on behalf of physicians in Northeastern Ohio in support of their proposed medical reform initiatives.