Lawyers who secured compensation for Nazi-era forced labourers should donate part of their DM118 million (£47 million) fees to the compensation fund, according to the leader of Germany's Jewish community.
The call came after a fund trustee warned that an unexpectedly large number of applicants would mean lower payments for all former forced labourers.
"We have to put ourselves in the position of these people whose lawyers earn millions, while they get only a minimal payment for working as forced labourers," said Mr Paul Spiegel, chairman of Germany's Central Committee of Jews.
"I cannot order anything, all I can do is appeal to the lawyers' conscience," said Mr Spiegel, adding that he had no objection to lawyers being paid for their work.
Last week the foundation set up by the German government and industry to compensate labourers made the first payments from the DM10 billion (£4 billion) fund.
The foundation had estimated that people forced to work in concentration camps would receive DM15,000 while those forced to work under slightly better conditions in factories would receive DM4,500 (£1,800).
Those figures were based on an estimated 1.2 million applicants, however the actual number of applicants is likely to rise to at least 1.8 million, said Mr Hans-Otto Brautigam, a trustee of the compensation fund.
As a result, individual payments may have to be reduced to ensure all applicants are compensated unless more money can be found, he said.
"There are increasing signs that the money will not be enough," said Mr Brautigam. He joined in the call for lawyers to contribute part of their fees to the compensation fund.
"You will no doubt say that this is a lot of money. We think so too," he said.
The long road to compensation has been paved with disagreements and mistrust.
Leading German companies refused to pay into the fund until they were indemnified by the government against future claims.
Despite receiving that guarantee last month, companies have left the fund still DM500 million (£200 million) short.
The first compensation cheques were presented to former forced labourers last Friday in Frankfurt.
The ceremony took place in the former headquarters of the chemical company IG Farben, the company that developed the Zyklon B agent used in concentration camp gas chambers.
Germany's federal government has agreed a second "solidarity pact" to continue the rebuilding of the former East German federal states.
The pact will run for 15 years from 2005 and will make almost DM306 billion (£144 billion) available to less well-off states.
The money is raised from an unpopular "solidarity tax", originally devised as a short-term measure after German unification but still in place a decade later.
The tax will remain in effect for the foreseeable future, the federal government said.