Why You Need a Missouri Lawyer — Even If You Live Somewhere Else
If you were injured in a car accident in Missouri, Missouri law governs your case — regardless of where you live, where the other driver is from, or where your insurance policy was issued. The state where the collision occurred sets the legal foundation for your personal injury claim.
That's why St. Louis personal injury attorney Jill Bollwerk regularly receives referrals from attorneys across the country. When their clients — residents of states like Kentucky, Tennessee, or Illinois — are injured while traveling through Missouri, those attorneys know their clients need a trusted local advocate who understands Missouri personal injury law inside and out.
But Your Home State Still Matters
Hiring a Missouri lawyer doesn't mean your home state's laws are irrelevant. Several critical aspects of your case may still be governed by the laws of the state where you live — and getting these details wrong can significantly reduce your recovery.
Health insurance reimbursement is one example. After an accident, your health insurer may seek repayment for benefits it paid on your behalf. Whether they're entitled to that reimbursement — and how much — often depends on your home state's law, since that's where your policy was issued. If you were injured in Missouri as a Kentucky resident, Kentucky law is likely to govern that question.
Auto insurance coverage is another. Different states require different types and levels of coverage. If your home state has Personal Injury Protection (PIP) — sometimes called no-fault coverage — that benefit may still be available to you after a Missouri accident. Missouri does not have PIP, but your home state's law governs your own policy, and that coverage doesn't disappear just because the accident happened elsewhere.
The Co-Counsel Approach: Why Jill Believes in a Team
With 35 years of experience and a wide professional network, Jill Bollwerk has developed relationships with personal injury attorneys across the country. When an out-of-state client comes to her, she takes a deliberate team approach rather than handling everything alone.
Jill either partners with the attorney who made the referral or identifies a qualified attorney in the client's home state to co-counsel with her. Each attorney handles the legal issues that touch their respective state. The attorneys share a single fee based on the work each performs — the client does not pay two separate fees.
As Jill explains it: she is licensed in Missouri and Illinois, and there are 48 other states people could be driving through. She doesn't know the law of those 48 states well enough to advise people, and she believes it's the safest approach for her clients to have representation on both sides of the state line.
