Travelling from firm to firm I have heard many stories about risky clients that have been taken on within the recent past.   Some of these clients promised big returns on contingency cases, yet even though the likelihood of success was slim the firms took on that work. Why you may ask? Well, in this down economy where attorneys are starved for hours worked the mere chance that maybe just maybe they could win made them take on the matter.   How did it turn out? Nine times out of ten, just as you would expect. Resources were poured into the case, the firms played with house money and at the end of the day there was absolutely no return.