SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BIDDING ON CONTINGENCY-BASED MATTERS

• US 20080313072A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michele Colucci-Zieger
• Original Assignee: Michele Colucci-Zieger
• Inventors: COLUCCI-ZIEGER, MICHELE
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

A system comprises a web server for posting matters of clients for bidding by contingency professionals, e.g., contingency lawyers and/or judgment collectors; a client matter engine for enabling a particular client to post a particular matter and to select a particular contingency professional bidding on the particular matter to handle the particular matter; a professional bidding engine for enabling the particular contingency professional to review at least a portion of the posted matters and to bid on the particular matter; and a bidding exchange engine for enabling the particular client and the particular contingency professional to communicate without exchanging direct contact information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling a client to post a contingency matter on a website managed by an operator;

requesting that the client agree to an operator lien, the operator lien being contingent on an outcome of the contingency matter;

enabling a contingency professional to bid on the contingency matter;

requesting that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien before payment to the client of any proceeds received from the contingency matter; and

enabling the client to select the contingency professional to handle the contingency matter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the client agree to the operator lien occurs around the time of registration of the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the client agree to the operator lien occurs specifically for the contingency matter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien occurs around the time of registration of the contingency professional.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien occurs specifically for the contingency matter.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting that the client sign an operator lien agreement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting that the contingency professional sign an acknowledgement of receipt of client instructions to execute the operator lien based on the outcome of the contingency matter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting that the contingency professional sign an agreement to enforce the operator lien.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operator lien includes a percentage of any proceeds received from the contingency matter.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting that the contingency professional first obtain an agreement to enforce the operator lien from another contingency professional before being allowed to transfer the case to the other contingency professional.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the client agree to the operator lien includes requiring that the client agree to the operator lien.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien includes requiring that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien.

13. A system comprising:

a client matter engine for enabling a client to post a contingency matter on a website managed by an operator and for enabling the client to select a particular contingency professional to handle the contingency matter from a set of bidding contingency professionals;

means for requiring that the client agree to an operator lien to the benefit of the operators the operator lien being contingent on an outcome of the contingency matter;

a bidding engine for enabling the particular contingency professional to bid on the contingency matter; and

means for requiring that the particular contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien before payment to the client of any proceeds received from the contingency matter.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the client agree to the operator lien includes a client registration engine.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the client agree to the operator lien is part of the client matter engine.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the particular contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien includes a registration engine.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the particular contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien includes a bidding engine.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the client agree to the operator lien includes means for requiring that the client sign an operator lien agreement.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the that the particular contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien includes means for requesting that the particular contingency professional sign an acknowledgement of receipt of client instructions to enforce the operator lien based on the outcome of the contingency matter.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the particular contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien includes means for requesting that the particular contingency professional sign an agreement to enforce the operator lien.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the operator lien includes a percentage of any proceeds received from the contingency matter.

22. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for requesting that the particular contingency professional obtain an agreement to enforce the operator lien from another contingency professional before being allowed to transfer the case to the other contingency professional.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the client agree to the operator lien includes means for requiring that the client agree to the operator lien.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for requesting that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien includes means for requiring that the contingency professional agree to enforce the operator lien.