Missouri Injury Attorney Blog

In Missouri, virtually all car accident and personal injury cases are handled by lawyers working on a contingency basis. At the very beginning of the attorney/client relationship, the lawyer's fee will be determined with a signed, written agreement between the client and the lawyer.

"David Payne will take care of your injury case--Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer"

Such agreements generally state that the client will owe NO FEE if the lawyer fails to obtain any money for the client. Only if money is collected does a fee for the lawyer kick in. You can expect the lawyer's fee to be between 25-40% of what is collected. I would suggest that a lawyer fee of 33% is the most common.

Don't forget to discuss who will be responsible for the costs the attorney incurs in your case. The agreement can state that the client won't be responsible for costs is no fee is recovered, too. However, some lawyers will ask for client's to be responsible for costs regardless of the outcome.

Whether the adjuster is calling from an office in Springfield, Joplin, Columbia, Kansas City, St. Louis or even out-of-state, adjusters are working for the insurance companies. The insurance companies employ highly trained adjusters who are paid to minimize your claim. That's why you need an experienced personsal injury lawyer to help you in your Missouri Car Accident.

This is how it would work if a case settled for $50,000 with the attorney earning a 1/3 fee and incurring $300 in costs. The attorney would take $16,888 for his fee and get reimbursed the $300 with the rest going to the client. Of course, if the attorney were to fail to get any recovery for the client the lawyer would get no fee.

Read the agreement the attorney is asking be signed. Make sure to ask lots of questions before you consider signing the agreement and hiring your lawyer.