After the loss of a loved one, families are often left grieving while also facing urgent legal and financial questions. One of the most common—and confusing—questions is: Who is actually allowed to file a wrongful death claim? Both Missouri and Illinois limit who may bring a wrongful death lawsuit, and those rules…

Black History Month is a time to honor the individuals and institutions that expanded access to justice despite systemic barriers. Black law firms hold a central place in that history. Many were established at a time when Black attorneys were barred from white firms, denied equal treatment in courtrooms, and excluded from…

Catastrophic brain injuries change lives in ways that are not always immediately visible. While the initial focus is often on emergency care and survival, the long-term consequences of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently extend far beyond the hospital. For individuals and families, the true cost of a catastrophic brain injury often…

Collisions involving commercial vehicles—such as delivery vans, box trucks, utility vehicles, or company-owned cars—often look like ordinary auto accidents at first. But beneath the surface, these cases raise unique legal and insurance issues that can significantly affect an injured person’s recovery. Understanding what makes commercial vehicle accidents different can help families protect…

Not all motor vehicle accidents are the same. While a collision between two passenger vehicles can be serious, accidents involving commercial trucks often raise entirely different legal, medical, and practical issues. Understanding how trucking accidents differ from regular car accidents helps explain why these cases tend to be more complex—and why they…

A catastrophic injury affects far more than the person who was harmed. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, and similar life-altering events often reshape an entire family’s daily life and future. In the early stages, families are frequently required to make serious decisions while still processing shock, grief, and uncertainty.…

A serious injury can change a family’s life in an instant. When a loved one is no longer able to make medical, financial, or personal decisions independently, families are often forced to confront a difficult and unfamiliar question: Does someone need to be legally appointed to act on their behalf? In Missouri…

One of the most common questions in mass tort cases is: “How are settlements decided?” The answer is more nuanced than many people expect. Mass tort settlements are not one-size-fits-all. Global Settlements, Individual Outcomes In many mass torts, defendants negotiate a global settlement framework. Within that framework: Two people in the same…

People often use the terms mass tort and class action interchangeably. In reality, they are very different legal tools, and the difference matters greatly for injured individuals. Understanding how these cases work can help explain why mass tort litigation is often the better option for people who have suffered serious harm. What…