NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge on Friday imposed a 25 percent cap on contingency fees for attorneys whose clients resolve their claims against BP over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico through a multibillion-dollar settlement agreement.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier’s ruling says plaintiffs’ lawyers who believe they deserve more than 25 percent of a client’s settlement award can petition him for a departure from the cap.