Illegal to pay attorney more if acquittal is obtained?
<p>I would think that for a criminal defendant, assuming that they have money, it would be in their interest to pay much more for a result of acquittal, than for a conviction. For example, imagine an attorney tells his client: "I charge $10,000 retainer to get started and if it goes to trial it will probably cost you $35,000." The client might then say, "Fine, I will pay that, but if I am acquitted or the prosecution drops the charges, I will pay you a bonus of $150,000". So, in that case the attorney has a strong incentive to get the client acquitted.</p>

<p>Are such deals illegal or considered "unethical"? I.e., could an attorney get in trouble for accepting such a deal?</p>

<p>This is analogous to a "contingent fee" where the lawyer only gets paid if they win the case.  In at least some jurisdictions, yes, this is considered unethical and not allowed in criminal cases.</p>

<p>See for instance the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_5_fees.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Rule 1.5</a> (d) (2):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>(d)  A lawyer shall not enter into an arrangement for, charge, or collect: [...]
  (2) a contingent fee for representing a defendant in a criminal case.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>At least some states have incorporated this rule verbatim into their own standards.  See for instance the <a href="http://law.uh.edu/libraries/ethics/trpc/1.04.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Texas Rules of Professional Conduct</a>, rule 1.04(e).</p>

legal-representation attorney-fees