Following Flannery v. Prentice (2001) 26 Cal.4th 572, this decision holds that absent a clear provision to the contrary in the client’s fee agreement with its lawyer, the attorney fees awarded to a prevailing party under Civil Code, § 3426.4 (part of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act) belong to the attorney, not the client to the extent they exceed fees already paid to the attorney by the client. The opinion also finds that the fee agreement in this case did not clearly provide that an attorney fee award would belong to the client rather than the lawyer.