Hiring a Real Estate Lawyer in Missouri
What a home seller in Missouri must disclose, how foreclosure works, 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
| What a home seller must disclose | Missouri law requires a seller to disclose in writing if the seller knows the property was used to make methamphetamine, and if the seller knew or should have known it was the home of, or storage site or lab for, a person convicted of certain methamphetamine-related crimes. No statute requiring a general property condition disclosure form was found on the official site. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 442.606 |
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| How foreclosure works | Both. A deed of trust or mortgage on land can be foreclosed by a court lawsuit, or, at the option of the holder of the debt, by a trustee's sale out of court under a power of sale in the document. Sales made under a power of sale are valid and end the owner's equity of redemption, except for the limited statutory redemption described below. |
| Foreclosure timeline | The statute sets a minimum of 20 days' notice before a trustee's sale (both the published notice and the mailed notice to the borrower and record owner). If the deed of trust requires longer notice, the longer period applies. |
| HOA foreclosure | Yes, for condominiums under the Uniform Condominium Act. The condo association has a lien on a unit for assessments and fines from the time they are due, and it may foreclose the lien like a mortgage, including by power of sale under Chapter 443. The lien has limited priority over an earlier first mortgage for up to six months of regular common-expense assessments, but the association loses that priority if it forecloses nonjudicially. The lien ends unless the association starts enforcement within three years after the assessments become due. If a rented unit's owner is more than 60 days behind, the association may demand that the tenant pay rent to it. This section covers condominiums under Chapter 448; liens of other homeowners associations depend on the recorded declaration. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 448.3-116 |
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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All legal help in Missouri · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
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.