What Is the Average Attorney Fee for a Personal Injury Claim in Missouri?

The average lawyer in Missouri, including all types of legal focuses, charges around $249/hour. The typical hourly range for attorneys in Missouri is $150 to $381. Across the US, national average hourly rates range from $162 to $392. Sources have also determined that civil litigation, the general field that includes personal injury cases, averages $275/hour in Missouri. Personal injury law itself runs, on average, at $217/hour across the state.

Do not allow these numbers to intimidate you, though, because personal injury lawyers most often charge on a contingency basis, not by the hour.

What Is a Contingency?

A contingency, when it comes to attorney’s fees anyway, means that you will not pay your lawyer by the hour. You will instead pay nothing up front, but when your lawyer wins your case, he or she gets to keep a percentage of the settlement. Most personal injury attorneys in Missouri charge the standard 33% contingency fee. However, for public interest or semi-pro bono cases (such as a class action lawsuit involving injured children), some personal injury firms will take as little as 20% of the payout. On the other hand, if your case is going to be particularly expensive to litigate (perhaps requiring numerous experts), your attorney may charge as much as 40+%.

Your Personal Injury Lawyer Pays All Up Front Costs

Another benefit of working with a Missouri lawyer charging you on a contingency basis is that your attorney will pay all of the costs necessary to litigate your case. Those costs may include:

• Expert Witnesses ($4,000-$5,000/witness)
• Non-Expert Witnesses ($75-$100 total)
• Ordering Police Reports ($5-$10)
• Ordering Medical Records ($50+)
• Court Filing Fees ($150 +/-)
• Exhibit Production ($100-$10,000+)
• Deposition Recording Services/Transcripts Fees ($150-$250/deposition)

It’s not uncommon for personal injury attorneys to take out business loans to pay the costs of litigating a more extensive case and/or a class action.

Average Personal Injury Settlement Amounts

In order to determine what your Missouri personal injury lawyer will actually receive for compensation, you need to have a ballpark idea of both their expenses to try your case and typical settlement or jury award amounts. Here are just a few statistics to give you a rough idea:

• Jury Verdict Research reported that the median personal injury settlement amount was $114,000.
• The average slip and fall case tends to pay out around $30,000. Slip and falls on private property average $105,000.
• The average concussion injury case pays out $50,000. More complicated concussions can pay as much as $125,000. The highest expected potential yield for a concussion case would be $500,000.
• The average premises liability (slippery floor, rough sidewalk, icy driveway) case settles for around $345,000.
• Dog bite cases settle generally for about $50,000.

Please remember these are statistical averages and not representative of all cases.

Hire a St. Louis, MO, Personal Injury Lawyer to Get Started!

The very best way to get a solid understanding of what your personal injury case is worth and what percentage you can expect to pay for a contingency fee is to call our office today. You can reach us at (314) 500-HURT or on our web contact form. Book your consultation today to get started.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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