Hurt in Des Moines? Start here.
If you were injured by someone else's carelessness in the Des Moines area, the right lawyer changes what you recover. Iowa gives you two years to file most injury claims and uses a modified comparative-fault rule that bars recovery if you're more than half at fault, so the details matter. Below are the Des Moines injury firms recognized most consistently across independent rating services.
Personal injury work in Des Moines runs on contingency, so you don't pay by the hour — the firm takes a percentage of what it recovers and you owe nothing if there's no recovery. The strongest Polk County practices are selective, trial-ready, and candid about the realistic range of outcomes for your case.
How we picked these firms: We cross-referenced Super Lawyers, Avvo, Justia and Expertise.com, then looked for peer recognition, published results, and consistent client review patterns. A firm had to appear across at least two independent sources to make the list. We do not accept payment for placement and we do not write sponsored reviews. Where a firm's founding year or staff size isn't publicly confirmed, we leave it out rather than guess. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Catastrophic injury, civil rights, wrongful death
One of Des Moines's best-known plaintiff firms; founder Roxanne Conlin is nationally recognized and the firm has decades of major injury results in Iowa.
Practice focus: Personal injury, serious accidents
Managing partner Ryan Stefani leads one of Iowa's largest injury firms, with numerous multi-million-dollar settlements for clients.
Practice focus: Personal injury, professional malpractice, business litigation
George LaMarca has handled some of Iowa's largest personal-injury cases across injury, professional malpractice and business litigation.
Practice focus: Personal injury, motor vehicle
Nathaniel Boulton and the firm are recognized by Super Lawyers for plaintiff personal-injury work in the Des Moines area.
Practice focus: Car accidents, personal injury, employment
Founder Harley Erbe brings more than two decades of experience in car-accident, injury, employment and insurance cases for Iowans.
Practice focus: Personal injury, workers' compensation
A Des Moines injury and workers'-compensation firm dedicated to representing injured Iowans and their families.
Practice focus: Personal injury, auto accidents
The firm reports a winning percentage above 99.5% and hundreds of millions recovered for tens of thousands of injured Iowans.
Practice focus: Personal injury, workers' compensation
An AV-rated attorney with a 10.0 Avvo rating serving injured clients in the Des Moines area.
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Request Free Consultation →Most Des Moines injury cases follow the same arc: medical treatment until you reach maximum improvement, an investigation and a demand to the insurer, negotiation, and — if that fails — a lawsuit in Polk County District Court or, where federal jurisdiction applies, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Cases that settle usually resolve in nine to eighteen months; cases that go to trial take longer.
Iowa's two-year statute of limitations is the hard deadline for most injury claims. Iowa also uses modified comparative fault: your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame, and you recover nothing if you are found more than 50% at fault.
Des Moines injury lawyers work on contingency. The common structure is roughly 33% of the recovery if the case settles before a lawsuit is filed and around 40% once litigation begins. The firm advances case expenses — medical records, expert witnesses, filing fees — and recovers them from the settlement. Get the percentage and the expense terms in writing before you sign, and ask what happens to costs if the case does not succeed.
Once you have two or three names, the decision comes down to fit and track record. Ask each firm who will handle your file day to day, how many cases like yours they've taken to verdict in the last three years, and what range of outcomes is realistic. A lawyer who promises a number is overselling; a good one gives you a range and explains the assumptions. Communication matters too — injury cases run for months.
Iowa's statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is two years from the date of the injury. Some claims have different deadlines, so check with a lawyer early.
Iowa uses modified comparative fault. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and you recover nothing if you are found more than 50% at fault.
Almost all work on contingency — commonly 33% if the case settles before a lawsuit and around 40% if it goes into litigation. You pay nothing up front and costs come out of the recovery.
Yes. Free initial consultations are standard among Des Moines injury firms, with no obligation to hire.
Most injury cases settle. A firm with real trial experience tends to negotiate stronger settlements because insurers know it can take the case to a jury.
Most are filed in Polk County District Court, or in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa when federal jurisdiction applies.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read recent reviews, then talk to two or three firms before you decide. Ask each how many cases like yours they have handled in the last three years — the answer tells you a lot. — The LawFirmSquare team