 Patrick Atiyah has written that one could halve, or double, or triple all the awards and it would still make just as much sense as it does now.Another likely factor driving up punitive damages are quota litis agreements between lawyers and clients, in which a share of the awarded punitive damage is awarded to the lawyer recovering it, giving the trial lawyer a direct economic incentive in high damages.Such a quota would usually amount to 25% to 30%.