No worries.  In Missouri, lawyers are only allowed to charge you on a contingent fee basis.  They can charge up to 25% of the amounts they recover on your behalf.  If you have received a settlement offer in writing before you hire a lawyer, the lawyer is then limited to a fee of 25% of only the amount that exceeds the offer.  Here is an example:

If you hired a lawyer early on in the process of your case (ie. when you are still receiving medical treatment), and the lawyer eventually got your case settled for $10,000, then the lawyers' fee would be $2,500 (25% of $10,000).

If, on the other hand, you decided to hire a laywer because you thought that the settlement offer the insurance company sent to you in writing of $5,000 is unfair, and that lawyer gets you another $5000 for a total of $10,000, then you only pay a fee of $1,250 (25% of the extra $5000 your lawyer obtained for you above what you were already offered).

We at Bollwerk & Associates offer a free initial consultation to determine whether we can help you and to let you decide if we are the attorneys who are right for you.

Jill S. Bollwerk
Helping St. Louis area residents with personal injury, workers' compensation & insurance appeals/disputes.