'even when a lawyer takes a case on contingency, additional expenses like court filing fees, expert witness fees, and costs associated with gathering evidence can be added on top of the contingency fee, meaning the client may still need to pay these costs even if they lose the case; these expenses are typically deducted from the settlement amount if the case is won'  

Duh... that is what I meant to write. I was trying to make the point that it would typically be better for folks to have their lawyers do as much as possible from a cost perspective. 

Contingent representation means a percent of the award instead of billable hours; usually.  The lawyer won't earn more money by returning the client's calls.  So not getting a response in a large class action is not surprising.   Effectively contingent cases means less earned per hour with each extra hour invested.  The least hours invested the better for the law firm.

That might need clarification.  Is it 1 billion of the 2.4?  Or is it a large sum paid by invoices over the last 4.5 years as part of bankruptcy proceedings?  And two more groups that is being paid as a combination of invoiced hours to cover bankruptcy administration (some law firms) and shared client awards (other law firms)? I am really curious what the bankruptcy legal fees were before the settlement?  And what the admin cost will be after?  And what portion of the awards will be shared with attorneys?  Total before and after must be over a billion.   I'm just curious.

And know you also know why the old timers complain “how come none of the younger volunteers stay around after they are done with their units?”  Same reason.