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 & Tatlow 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.