Hiring a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Missouri
The Missouri helmet and lane-splitting rules, the deadline to sue, how lawyers usually charge (contingency fees), how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Missouri: fee rules
| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel refers fee complaints to the Fee Dispute Resolution Committees operated by The Missouri Bar. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The Missouri Bar's Client Security Fund, created in 1966 and maintained by Bar members' annual fees, can compensate clients harmed by a lawyer who has been disbarred, suspended, ruled mentally incapacitated, or has died. Fee disputes and malpractice are not covered. File within two years of discovering the loss using the Client Security Fund Claim Form on MissouriLawyersHelp.org (or request a printed copy from the fund coordinator). A committee recommends full or partial payment or denial, the Board of Governors has final discretion, and the committee aims to decide claims within a year. |
Missouri rules to know first
| Helmet law | Motorcycle and motortricycle operators and passengers under 26 must wear a helmet whenever the vehicle is moving, and so must operators 26 or older riding on an instruction permit; other adult riders are not required to wear one. Local governments may not impose their own helmet rules, and no one may be stopped just to check helmet compliance. The section does not say that not wearing a helmet reduces damages in a lawsuit. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. §302.020.2 |
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| Lane splitting | No Missouri statute read names lane splitting. On roads divided into lanes, the state traffic law requires a vehicle to be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and not moved from that lane until the driver has made sure the move can be made safely. Missouri's statutes read do not separately address riding between lanes; how §304.015 applies to motorcycles is not stated in the statute. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. §304.015 |
| Fault rule | Pure comparative fault. In product liability claims, the statute expressly applies pure comparative fault: the plaintiff's fault reduces the award proportionately but does not bar recovery. Missouri applies the same pure comparative fault approach to negligence cases generally through court decisions. In dog-bite cases, damages are reduced by the injured person's percentage of fault. |
| Deadline to sue | Five years. Actions for "any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract" and not otherwise listed must be filed within five years. Some injury claims have shorter periods under other sections (for example, medical malpractice, two years; wrongful death, three years). Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120(4) |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Missouri Bar offers LawyerSearch, a directory of lawyers who have chosen to be listed, searchable by area of practice or Missouri county, with optional language-assistance filters; it is not described as a referral service, and "Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement by The Missouri Bar of particular attorneys." In the St. Louis area, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis sponsors a Lawyer Referral and Information Service (bamsl.org). Missouri Bar phone: (573) 635-4128. BAMSL LRIS described at https://www.moept.uscourts.gov/lawyer-referral-and-information-service |
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| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Missouri lawyers go to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel (OCDC) in writing, using the online form, a printed or fillable PDF form, or a letter, one complaint per attorney (OCDC cannot investigate law firms). Mail: OCDC, 3327 American Ave, Jefferson City, MO 65109; phone 573-635-7400. Include the lawyer's name and address, the legal matter, any court and case caption, a detailed statement of facts, and documents such as fee agreements and proof of payment. There is no cost. Staff Counsel reviews complaints in order and tries to respond in writing within about four weeks; if a file is opened, the lawyer is usually notified and may respond, and you may reply. OCDC cannot give legal advice or recover money for you. A list of public discipline imposed since January 1, 2006 is posted by the Missouri courts. Public discipline list: https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=109856 ; disciplinary certificates: https://mochiefcounsel.org/obtaining-disciplinary-certificates/ |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Missouri's LSC-funded legal aid organizations give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people by region: Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Legal Services of Southern Missouri and Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation. |
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.