Under the American rule of attorneys' fees:
a) The parties split the combined fees of the attorneys.
b) The government pays the fees for both civil and criminal defendants, while plaintiffs' attorneys are paid on a contingency basis.
c) Attorneys on both sides are paid by retainers, with the winning party recovering the losing party's retainer when the case is decided.
d) Each party is usually responsible for his or her attorney fees unless they have agreed otherwise or a statute allows fee-shifting.