St. Louis · Car Accident Guide
Missouri gives crash victims five years to sue and, unlike most states, never bars you from recovering just because you shared some of the blame. We compared three car accident attorneys serving St. Louis on Missouri Bar licensing records, the case types they actually handle, published fee terms and verified Google reviews, and set out who each one suits and where each falls short.
DJA Editorial · Legal Directory Research
Checked against state bar licensee records, court sources and public review platforms · Last updated September 2026
The short answer
Three firms of very different sizes, each leading for a different kind of St. Louis crash. This is a shortlist rather than a ranking, and the firm in the top slot does not carry the largest review base of the three.
1
The Gogel Law FirmFeatured
Best for facing an insurer with someone who used to defend them
2
Brown & Crouppen Law Firm
Best for a case that could go the distance against a big insurer
3
The Hayden Law Firm
Best for a catastrophic injury claim with the founder personally on the file
At a glance: Car Accident Attorneys in St. Louis, compared
| Firm |
Best for |
Focus |
Bar record |
Fees |
Rating |
| The Gogel Law Firm |
Best for facing an insurer with someone who used to defend them |
Car accidents, traffic tickets and general personal injury |
Jeremy A. Gogel, Missouri and Illinois |
Contingency, percentage not published |
4.9 · 170 Google |
| Brown & Crouppen Law Firm |
Best for a case that could go the distance against a big insurer |
High-volume injury and trucking claims across MO, IL, KS and MN |
Terry Crouppen, Missouri Bar |
Contingency, 33% to 40%, published on site |
4.9 · 719 Google |
| The Hayden Law Firm |
Best for a catastrophic injury claim with the founder personally on the file |
Catastrophic injury and motor vehicle crashes, MO and IL |
Amanda L. Hayden, Missouri and Illinois |
Contingency, reported 33% to 40% |
4.9 · 76 Google |
Car Accident in St. Louis: the local picture
33% to 40%
What representation costs
Missouri sets no statutory cap on contingency fees. Every agreement is instead governed by the reasonableness standard of Missouri Supreme Court Rule 4-1.5, and ordinary personal injury contingency agreements commonly run 33% to 40%, often lower if the case settles before a lawsuit is filed and higher once suit is filed or the case goes to trial. Of the three firms below, only Brown & Crouppen publishes this range on its own site.
5 years
The deadline that decides whether you can sue at all
Missouri gives crash victims five years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit under RSMo 516.120, one of the longer windows in the country. Missouri also follows a pure comparative fault rule under RSMo 537.765: a jury can find you mostly at fault and you still recover something, since your damages are only reduced by your percentage of fault and never eliminated the way they would be in a state with a 50% or 51% cutoff.
$5,000
Where you may not need a lawyer at all
Missouri’s small claims division, part of the Associate Circuit Court, handles disputes up to $5,000 under RSMo 482.305 with no attorney required, informal procedure, and a filing fee typically $25 to $45 depending on the county, with fee waivers available for filers who qualify. For anything larger, or if none of the three firms below fit, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis runs a free Lawyer Referral and Information Service that matches callers with a local attorney.
What clients in St. Louis say: Reading the verified Google reviews across all three, the praise rarely centers on courtroom performance. It centers on someone picking up the phone and explaining what happens next. At the smaller two firms, reviewers name the founding attorney directly and repeatedly; at the largest of the three, reviewers name case coordinators and staff far more often than any attorney, which is what handling a high volume of files looks like from the client’s side. The one detailed complaint in this set involves a call that a caller felt was rushed and dismissive on a property-damage-only inquiry, worth keeping in mind when weighing how each firm handles a smaller claim.
How we chose these Car Accident Attorneys in St. Louis
We looked at attorneys handling car accident claims for St. Louis drivers, then compared them on things a reader can check personally: the Missouri Bar licensing record for the lead attorney, the case types the firm actually lists rather than the ones it advertises, whether it publishes fee terms, the office serving the St. Louis area, and the verified client reviews on Google.
The three are a shortlist, not a ranking, and each leads for a different situation. Firm details come from each firm’s own site, cross-checked against Google Business Profile listings, third-party attorney directories and public statute sources. Bar admission years drawn from third-party directories rather than the Missouri Bar’s own licensee search are flagged on the page rather than presented as confirmed, and no case result or recovery total appears here unless the firm publishes it itself, in which case it is labelled as the firm’s own figure.
1. The Gogel Law FirmFeatured
Best for facing an insurer with someone who used to defend them
★★★★½ 4.9 / 5 · Google · 170 reviews
Choose this firm if you want the person negotiating your claim to have experience on the other side of the table. Founder Jeremy Gogel worked as an insurance defense and professional liability attorney, as well as a federal judicial law clerk, before representing injured people. As a St. Louis car accident lawyer with insurance defense experience, that background shapes how he evaluates an adjuster’s early offer. The firm’s results page also highlights cases in which a low pre-suit offer led to a much larger verdict at trial.
Identity and footprint
Office745 Old Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141
Phone(314) 370-8173, fax (314) 399-8277
Founder and managing attorneyJeremy A. Gogel
Firm sizeSingle named attorney on the site’s team page, no other attorneys listed
States servedMissouri and Illinois, litigating in courts throughout both
Practice and scope
Core workPersonal injury, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, workers’ compensation, nursing home abuse
Car accident sub-pagesDangerous roadways, distracted driving, drowsy driving, head-on collisions, hit and run, fatal crashes, multi-vehicle, rear-end, rollover, speeding, T-bone, Uber accidents
BackgroundJeremy Gogel worked in professional liability defense for attorneys and medical professionals, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, and served as a federal judicial law clerk before founding the firm
Published resultsFirm’s own figures include a $1,000,000 car accident settlement, a $300,000 car accident settlement, a $152,000 settlement after a pre-suit denial, and a $75,000 jury verdict after a $1,500 pre-suit offer
Credentials and licensing
Missouri BarJeremy A. Gogel, bar number 61866, admitted 2009
Illinois BarID number 6301680, admitted 2010
Law schoolUniversity of Missouri School of Law, J.D. 2009, after a BSBA in Finance and an MBA, also from University of Missouri-Columbia
Bar serviceBar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys
RecognitionMissouri Super Lawyers badge years shown on site include 2021, 2022 and 2025 (firm site awards section)
Directory listingJeremy Gogel holds a Distinguished Justice Advocates listing
Fees and consultation
StructureContingency, advertised as no cost to contact the firm for a consultation
ConsultationFree
What clients say
✓ Jeremy personally on traffic tickets and injury cases alike
✓ Settlement described as exceeding expectations
✓ Patient, calm through the process
✗ One recent account of a rushed, dismissive call on a property-damage inquiry
· 170 reviews, single-office practice
Most reviewers on the Gogel listing describe working with Jeremy directly, on matters ranging from traffic tickets to injury settlements, and several mention results well above what they expected going in. One recent review from August 2026 describes a call about a property-damage-only claim that felt rushed, with the attorney downplaying the caller’s concerns and interrupting before questions were finished. That is one account against a much larger pattern of praise, but it is worth asking how the firm handles a smaller or property-only claim before you sign.
Why they fit St. Louis: The clearest fit if you want the founding attorney, not a case manager, reading your file, and Jeremy Gogel’s background defending insurers and litigating coverage and bad faith claims is genuinely relevant to how the other side will value your case. The caveat is scale and disclosure: the site lists no attorney besides Jeremy, so capacity is more limited than the larger two firms here, the contingency percentage is not published anywhere on the site, and the most recent Google review describes a call on a smaller claim that felt dismissive. Ask directly what the fee percentage is and how the firm handles a property-damage-only inquiry before you sign.
2. Brown & Crouppen Law Firm
Best for a case that could go the distance against a big insurer
★★★★½ 4.9 / 5 · Google · 719 reviews
The firm with the longest history and the deepest bench of the three. Founded in 1979 by Terry Crouppen and Ron Brown, the St. Louis car accident attorneys at Brown & Crouppen now number among more than 200 legal professionals firmwide, with offices across Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Minnesota. The firm’s own figures put its recovered total above $1 billion, and it is the only one of the three that publishes its contingency percentage range on its own site rather than leaving the figure to a phone call.
Identity and footprint
St. Louis office4900 Daggett Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone(314) 501-9510
FoundersTerry Crouppen and Ron Brown (1943-2022), 1979
Firm sizeMore than 200 legal professionals firmwide, per the firm’s own account
Other Missouri and Illinois locationsArnold, Ferguson, O’Fallon, St. Charles, Washington, MO; Edwardsville and Fairview Heights, IL
Practice and scope
Core workPersonal injury weighted toward motor vehicle collisions, plus a broad general injury practice
St. Louis case pagesCar, truck, motorcycle, bus, pedestrian and Uber accidents, dog bites, slip and fall, workers’ compensation, wrongful death, nursing home abuse, birth injury, medical malpractice, mesothelioma and asbestos, product liability, dangerous drugs, disability claims
Local hospital tiesStates it works closely with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital to document injuries
Credentials and licensing
Terry CrouppenJ.D., Washington University School of Law, 1971; B.S. Accounting, University of Missouri, 1967; former public defender, 22nd Judicial Circuit
Missouri Bar number
Public discipline
Bar serviceThe Missouri Bar, American Bar Association, Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers, American Association for Justice
Fees and consultation
StructureContingency, 33% to 40% of the recovery, described on the firm’s own separate fees page
ConsultationFree, described as no upfront cost
Case expenses on a lossThe firm’s own fee page states some contingency arrangements may still leave the client responsible for case expenses and court costs even in a loss; ask which applies to your agreement
What clients say
✓ Fast response at intake
· Staff and coordinators named more than attorneys
✓ Firm was direct about not taking a case it couldn’t win
· Deepest review base of the three, 719 reviews
Reviewers describe a quick intake process, with one caller noting a contract signed within roughly 40 minutes of the first call. Several reviews single out staff, including a coordinator named Andrea, for kindness and clarity rather than naming an attorney by name. One reviewer whose case the firm declined to take still praised the candor of the conversation. At this volume, day-to-day contact reads as staff-driven rather than attorney-driven.
Why they fit St. Louis: The strongest choice if your case is complex, may involve a large commercial or trucking defendant, or could end up heavily litigated, given the firm’s decades of trial history, its bench of more than 200 legal professionals, and the fact that it is the only firm of the three that states its 33% to 40% contingency range on its own site rather than making you ask. The trade off sits in the same reviews that praise the firm: contact is more likely to run through a case coordinator than the named partner, and the firm’s own fee page is upfront that some contingency agreements leave the client responsible for case expenses even in a loss, which is worth reading closely before you sign.
3. The Hayden Law Firm
Best for a catastrophic injury claim with the founder personally on the file
★★★★½ 4.9 / 5 · Google · 76 reviews
The smallest and youngest of the three, built around one trial attorney. Founder Amanda Hayden, licensed in both Missouri and Illinois since around 2019, focuses on catastrophic injury work including traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries alongside ordinary car accident claims. For a crash that crosses the river or a client who wants a St. Louis car crash attorney they can reach directly rather than through a case manager, this is the practice built that way, with a second office in Belleville, Illinois.
Identity and footprint
St. Louis office1118 Hampton Ave. #201, St. Louis, MO 63139
Illinois office138 Lincoln Place Court, Suite 102, Belleville, IL 62221
Phone(314) 480-3100
FounderAmanda L. Hayden
Firm sizeSingle named attorney on the firm’s about page, no other attorneys listed
Practice and scope
Core workMotor vehicle accidents and catastrophic personal injury
Motor vehicle sub-pagesCar, motorcycle, truck, rideshare, ATV, self-driving vehicle, bicycle, boating, pedestrian and bus accidents
Catastrophic injury focusSeparate pages for brain injuries, spine injuries, loss of limb, burn injuries, and neck, back and shoulder injuries
Credentials and licensing
Missouri and Illinois BarLicensed in both states since approximately 2019, about 6 years at the time of this update
Law schoolSaint Louis University School of Law, J.D., Dean’s Scholar
UndergraduateWestern Governors University, B.S. Management and Finance; earlier coursework at Arizona State University in Physics
Public disciplineA third-party directory records no misconduct found in either state
Fees and consultation
StructureContingency, described by a third-party directory as 33% to 40%
ConsultationFree, a third-party directory lists the first 30 minutes as free
What clients say
✓ Amanda named personally in nearly every review
✓ Returning clients years apart
✓ Described as explaining each step clearly
· Smallest review base of the three, 76 reviews
Nearly every review on the Hayden listing names Amanda Hayden by name rather than the firm generically, describing her as professional, responsive and thorough. One reviewer describes being helped by Amanda originally in 2021 and again years later, on a matter outside her current scope of work, on a Friday afternoon. The pattern across a smaller review base is consistent: direct, personal contact with the founding attorney rather than a team.
Why they fit St. Louis: The right call for a serious, catastrophic injury crash where you want the founding trial attorney handling the file personally, and for a claim that crosses the Mississippi given the firm’s dual Missouri and Illinois licensure and its Belleville office. The trade off is size: this is the youngest and smallest of the three, with a single named attorney and the smallest review base by a wide margin, so a case needing a large litigation team or multiple attorneys may outgrow the firm’s bench. The contingency percentage itself is not published on the firm’s own site, only on a third-party directory, so get it in writing before you sign.
What to check before hiring a Car Accident Attorney in St. Louis
✓ Look up the license yourself, it takes two minutes
The Missouri Bar runs a free Official Directory of Lawyers showing bar number, city and standing, and Illinois’ ARDC does the same for attorneys licensed there. Two of the three firms here rely on third-party directories rather than the firm’s own site for bar numbers and admission years, so search the individual attorney who will handle your file rather than taking any website’s word for it.
✓ Get the contingency percentage and cost policy in writing
Missouri sets no cap on contingency fees, and the going range among St. Louis injury firms is 33% to 40%. Ask for the pre-suit rate, the post-filing rate, whether it rises again at trial, and whether the fee is calculated on the gross settlement or after case expenses come out. Also ask directly whether you would owe any case expenses if the claim does not result in a recovery: not every firm’s agreement answers that the same way.
✓ Know your five-year deadline, and don’t wait to act
Missouri Revised Statute 516.120 gives you five years from the date of the crash to file suit. That is generous by national standards, but evidence, witness memory and available medical records only get harder to gather the longer you wait, and a claim against a government vehicle or entity can carry a much shorter notice deadline.
✓ Remember Missouri never bars you for shared fault
Under RSMo 537.765, Missouri’s pure comparative fault rule means a jury can find you mostly responsible for a crash and you still recover something, reduced only by your percentage of fault. Do not assume a disputed-fault crash is not worth pursuing before you have talked to an attorney.
✓ Check your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
Missouri requires drivers to carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in liability coverage, minimums that a serious injury can exceed quickly. Insurers must include matching uninsured motorist coverage in every policy unless you reject it in writing, so pull your own declarations page and confirm your UM and UIM limits before you assume the other driver’s coverage is your only source of recovery.
✓ If your damages are small, ask whether you need a lawyer at all
Missouri’s small claims division handles disputes up to $5,000 with no attorney required and a filing fee typically $25 to $45. On a clear-liability fender bender with modest bills, a contingency fee may cost more than representation adds; on anything larger or disputed, that is exactly the kind of case the firms above are built for.
Car Accident Attorneys in St. Louis: frequently asked questions
How much does a car accident attorney cost in St. Louis?
Nothing upfront. Missouri injury attorneys almost universally work on contingency, and the state sets no cap on the percentage. The going range is 33% to 40% of the recovery, governed by the reasonableness standard of Missouri Supreme Court Rule 4-1.5. Of the three firms on this page, only Brown & Crouppen states its range on its own site; ask the other two directly and get it in writing.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Missouri?
Five years from the date of the crash for most claims, under RSMo 516.120. Claims against a government vehicle or entity can carry a much shorter notice deadline, so confirm yours early if a city, county or state vehicle was involved.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
You can still recover. Missouri follows a pure comparative fault rule under RSMo 537.765: your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but never eliminated, even if a jury finds you 99% responsible. That is a meaningfully more forgiving rule than the modified comparative fault systems most states use, which cut off recovery entirely once a plaintiff crosses 50% or 51% fault.
What if the other driver had no insurance or not enough?
Missouri requires insurers to build uninsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident into every auto policy, and a policyholder must reject that coverage in writing if they do not want it. If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, your own policy’s UM or UIM coverage is typically where a claim turns next; pull your declarations page to see your actual limits.
Is my claim too small to need a lawyer?
Possibly. Missouri’s small claims division, part of the Associate Circuit Court, handles disputes up to $5,000 under RSMo 482.305 with no attorney required and a simplified process. The filing fee typically runs $25 to $45 depending on the county, with a waiver available for filers who qualify financially. On a clear-liability, low-bill claim, that route may cost less than a contingency fee would.
What if none of these firms are the right fit?
The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis runs a free Lawyer Referral and Information Service at (314) 621-6681, covering the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, and matches callers with a local attorney by practice area. It has operated for more than 70 years and made over 13,000 referrals in a recent year.
DJA Editorial
Legal Directory Research
Compiles Distinguished Justice Advocates city guides from state bar records, court and statute sources, and publicly visible client reviews. Firms appear as a shortlist rather than a ranking. Figures a firm publishes about itself are labelled as such, and anything that could not be verified is flagged on the page rather than estimated.
