it's not real clear about the situation but what it sounds like may be that you did not actually have but one contract which was assumed by a series of attorneys and/or firms. If that is the case, then you would only owe one attorney/firm. You would not owe each of them.

Now, if you changed lawyers somehwere along the line, then you could end up owing more than one firm and if so, you could actually end up owing more than the total award even.

What does your current attorney say about this?