con·tin·gen·cy /kən-'tin-jən-sē/ n pl -cies
1: the quality or state of being contingent
2: a contingent event or condition: as
a: an event that may but is not certain to occur
a contingency that made performance under the contract impossible
b: something likely to come about as an adjunct to or result of something else; specif: contingency fee at fee 2
whether a case is on a contingency or billed at an hourly rate — D. R. Frederico
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.