How much is a personal injury case worth in Shreveport, Louisiana?

Case value turns on the medical specials, the wage loss, the strength of liability, the venue, and the available insurance coverage. Any number quoted before a file review is a guess. Louisiana Civil Code article 2315 provides for recovery of past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages and earning capacity, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. Loss of consortium is available to a spouse. Punitive damages are confined to specific authorizing statutes, principally Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.4 for DWI-related injuries.

What is the contingency fee for a personal injury lawyer in Louisiana?

The Louisiana State Bar Association reports that Louisiana lawyers operate under Rule 1.5 of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct, which requires that contingency fees be reasonable, in writing, and clear on how expenses are calculated. The standard structure is no-fee-unless-recovery: the firm advances case costs and is paid only if the case resolves favorably. Specific percentages and cost handling are set out in the written engagement letter; the letter, not a general rule, controls the relationship.

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Louisiana?

Two years from the date of injury under Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1 for most claims arising from injuries occurring after July 1, 2024 (earlier injuries were subject to the prior one-year period). Medical malpractice is governed by Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:5628, which sets a three-year hard cutoff from the act or omission with a one-year period running from discovery. Claims against government defendants use the same two-year period with no pre-suit notice (Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5108), but service must be requested within 90 days of filing (13:5107(D)). Wrongful death and survival actions run under Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.1 and Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.2. A lawyer should review the specific facts to confirm the deadline for any particular claim.

Does Louisiana use comparative fault in personal injury cases?

Yes, and the rule changed as of January 1, 2026. For causes of action arising on or after that date, Louisiana Civil Code article 2323 provides a modified comparative fault rule with a 51 percent bar under Act No. 15 of the 2025 Regular Session (House Bill 431): a claimant at 50 percent fault or below recovers damages reduced by that percentage, and a claimant at 51 percent or more recovers nothing. Causes of action arising before January 1, 2026 are governed by Louisiana's prior pure comparative fault rule, under which recovery was reduced by the claimant's fault percentage but never barred. Texas applies its own 51 percent bar under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 33.001.

What damages can I recover in a Louisiana personal injury claim?

Economic damages: past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, and out-of-pocket costs. Non-economic damages: physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of consortium for a spouse. Punitive damages are available only when a specific Louisiana statute authorizes them, principally Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.4 for injuries caused by intoxicated motor vehicle operators.

How long does a personal injury case take to settle in Louisiana?

A settlement-track case typically resolves within nine to eighteen months after treatment is substantially complete. A litigation-track case filed in the Louisiana First Judicial District Court (Caddo Parish) or the Louisiana Twenty-Sixth Judicial District Court (Bossier Parish) generally runs twenty-four to thirty-six months from filing through trial, sometimes longer for catastrophic-injury matters. The dividing line is the gap between the carrier's valuation and what the file supports. When that gap closes, the case settles. When it does not, the case is tried.

Should I give a recorded statement to the insurance company after a Louisiana accident?

Not to the at-fault driver's insurer, and not without legal advice. The Louisiana Department of Insurance and consumer-protection guidance from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners describe how recorded statements taken before treatment is complete are routinely used to reduce claim value. The claimant's own insurer is a different question; some policies require prompt notice and cooperation, and that obligation should be reviewed against the policy language and the facts of the loss before the call.

What should I bring to my first consultation with a Shreveport personal injury attorney?

The police or incident report (Shreveport Police Department, Bossier City Police Department, Caddo or Bossier Parish Sheriff, or Louisiana State Police), medical records and bills to date, photographs of the scene and visible injuries, names and contact information for witnesses, insurance correspondence including claim numbers and adjuster contacts, documentation of lost wages, names of treating providers, and a short written timeline of events. None of it is mandatory; all of it sharpens the evaluation.

Will my Shreveport personal injury case settle or go to trial?

Most cases settle. A small percentage are tried to verdict. Settlement value rises when the plaintiff's firm has a credible record of trying cases to verdict, because insurers and defense firms track which firms fold and which try. Trial capacity is a settlement lever even on cases that ultimately settle.

Who voted Trey Morris Injury Lawyers the best personal injury law firm in Shreveport-Bossier?

Northwest Louisiana voters, through the Shreveport-Bossier Choice Awards public vote, administered by the SBC Advocate. The SBC Advocate reports that Trey Morris Injury Lawyers received Gold in Best Personal Injury Law in both 2024 and 2025, and moved from Silver to Gold in Best Law Firm between 2024 and 2025. Voting is open to the public, free to participate in, and the results are published by the SBC Advocate at the close of each cycle.

Voted Shreveport-Bossier's Best Personal Injury Law Firm

May 2, 2026

What Do the Shreveport-Bossier Choice Awards Measure?

The Shreveport-Bossier Choice Awards is a community recognition program administered by the SBC Advocate. The SBC Advocate states that categories cover restaurants, retail, professional services, and law firms, and that winners are decided by public vote rather than by an editorial panel or a paid submission process.

How the public vote works

The SBC Advocate reports that each cycle opens with a public nomination period followed by a public voting period, that any Shreveport-Bossier metro resident may cast a ballot, and that Gold, Silver, and Bronze finishers are announced for each category at the close of voting.

Two features separate the Choice Awards from paid attorney directories. The vote is direct, not algorithmic. And the SBC Advocate publishes no listing fee for a law firm to be nominated or recognized. The result reflects who Northwest Louisiana voters named when asked.

The 2024 and 2025 results in two categories

Trey Morris Injury Lawyers’ results across the two categories, as published by the SBC Advocate:

Year	Category	Result
2024	Best Personal Injury Law	Gold
2024	Best Law Firm	Silver
2025	Best Personal Injury Law	Gold
2025	Best Law Firm	Gold

Back-to-back Gold in Best Personal Injury Law. A move from Silver to Gold in Best Law Firm between 2024 and 2025.

What community-validated recognition signals to a claimant

A public-vote award is a different signal than an attorney directory listing. Directories like Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell apply their own peer-review or editorial criteria. Some charge a listing fee for display. None of them are votes by the local community a firm serves. The Shreveport-Bossier Choice Awards, by contrast, were decided in the 2024 and 2025 cycles by Caddo and Bossier Parish residents voting through the SBC Advocate’s open ballot.

Reading any law firm award, the questions to ask are: who decided this, what did they have to spend or submit to decide it, and how many people participated. A public-vote community recognition answers all three openly. It is not the only signal worth weighing. It is one signal among several.

What Trial Record Backs the Shreveport-Bossier Recognition?

Community sentiment is one data point. Trial results are another. The two should line up before the recognition means much.

Over $1 billion in settlements, verdicts, and judgments

Trey Morris Injury Lawyers reports more than $1 billion in combined settlements, verdicts, and judgments across the firm’s history. The aggregate covers personal injury matters in Louisiana and Texas, including motor vehicle collisions, commercial vehicle and 18-wheeler crashes, wrongful death claims, and industrial and workplace injuries.

The firm’s full record is on its case results page.

The Grantham $409 million Bossier verdict

In 2023, owner Trey Morris tried Grantham v. Stuart Petroleum, et al. to a jury verdict of $409,122,013. TopVerdict.com placed the Grantham verdict in its Top 20 Verdicts in the United States for 2023, its Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts for 2023, and its Top 10 Wrongful Death Verdicts for 2023.

A verdict of that size places a firm in a small population of trial firms nationally and a smaller population in Louisiana.

TopVerdict rankings for 2023

TopVerdict.com reports that it ranks settlements and verdicts by amount, verified against court records or executed settlement agreements. TopVerdict.com listed Trey Morris Injury Lawyers in the following positions:

Top 20 Verdicts in the United States, 2023 (Grantham v. Stuart Petroleum, et al., $409,122,013)
Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts, 2023
Top 10 Wrongful Death Verdicts, 2023

The rankings are publicly searchable at topverdict.com. A reader can verify each entry.

What Louisiana Personal Injury Law Do Shreveport Claimants Need to Know?

Four pieces of Louisiana law determine whether a Shreveport claim is viable and what it might be worth: the prescription deadline, comparative fault, the damages categories available, and the realistic timeline.

The two-year prescription period and its exceptions

The Louisiana State Legislature sets a two-year prescriptive period for personal injury delictual claims under Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1, applicable to injuries occurring after July 1, 2024 (earlier injuries were subject to the prior one-year period).

Several exceptions modify the rule:

Minors. Being under 18 does not pause the deadline for most claims. A parent or tutor has to file on the child’s behalf within two years (Louisiana Civil Code article 3468). The main exception is a product-liability claim involving permanent disability.
Government defendants. The same two-year period applies, with no pre-suit notice requirement (Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5108). Service must be requested within 90 days of filing (13:5107(D)), and damages other than medical care, lost earnings, and property damage are capped at $500,000 per person (13:5106(B)).
Survival and wrongful death. Separate periods under Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.1 (survival) and Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.2 (wrongful death).

Comparative fault under Louisiana law

Louisiana Civil Code article 2323 long established pure comparative fault: a claimant’s compensation was reduced by their percentage of fault, but was not eliminated by it, no matter how high that percentage ran.

This changed as of January 1, 2026, by Act No. 15 of the 2025 Regular Session (House Bill 431), which amended article 2323 to a modified comparative fault rule. The new legal standard: for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant who is 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing; a claimant at 50 percent fault or below recovers damages reduced by their percentage of fault. Causes of action that arose before January 1, 2026 remain governed by the prior pure comparative fault rule.

Damages a Shreveport claimant can recover

Louisiana Civil Code article 2315 provides the general delictual liability rule, and Louisiana courts sort recoverable damages into economic and non-economic.

Punitive damages are narrow in Louisiana. Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.4 authorizes exemplary damages in cases where the injury was caused by a defendant operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and that intoxication was a cause-in-fact of the injuries. Outside a specific authorizing statute, the Louisiana Supreme Court has held that punitive damages are not recognized in ordinary negligence cases.

Case timeline in Caddo and Bossier parishes

A case on a settlement track typically resolves within nine to eighteen months from the date of injury.

A case on a litigation track runs longer. The Louisiana First Judicial District Court (Caddo Parish) and the Louisiana Twenty-Sixth Judicial District Court (Bossier Parish) generally move civil personal injury matters from filing through trial in twenty-four to thirty-six months, with catastrophic-injury matters sometimes longer.

How Should Shreveport Claimants Compare Personal Injury Law Firms?

Comparison criteria for any Shreveport personal injury firm

A useful checklist when evaluating any personal injury firm:

Trial record. Has the firm actually tried personal injury cases to verdict in the last three to five years? Ask for specifics. Defense lawyers and insurers track which firms try cases and which only settle. That tracking drives settlement offers.
Jurisdictional fit. Is the firm licensed and active in the parish where the case will be filed? A Louisiana case needs a Louisiana lawyer, and a Caddo or Bossier case benefits from a lawyer who knows the local bench and bar.
Fee structure. Personal injury fees in Louisiana are contingency-based. Confirm the percentage in writing, confirm how case costs are handled, and confirm what happens if the case is unsuccessful.
Communication norms. How often will the lawyer or staff update the file? Who returns calls? A signed engagement letter should answer this in plain terms.
Experience with the specific injury type. A truck collision case, an oilfield case, and a slip-and-fall case run differently. The firm should be able to describe how it has handled the type of matter at hand.

Contingency fee structure under Louisiana RPC 1.5

Louisiana lawyers are bound by Rule 1.5 of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct, promulgated by the Louisiana Supreme Court and enforced by the Louisiana State Bar Association. The rule requires that contingency fees be reasonable, that the agreement be in writing, and that the writing state the method of calculation, expenses to be deducted, and whether expenses come off the gross or net recovery.

Louisiana personal injury firms commonly run a contingency model described by the Louisiana State Bar Association as no-fee-unless-recovery. The firm advances the case costs (filing fees, deposition costs, expert fees, medical-record charges) and recovers them only if the case resolves favorably. If the case is lost, the client owes no attorney fee.

Specific percentages and cost structures vary by firm and by case complexity. The engagement letter is the document that controls. Read it before signing.

How insurance adjusters reduce settlements, and how representation changes the math

The Louisiana Department of Insurance and consumer-protection bulletins from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners describe several patterns adjusters apply to reduce payout on unrepresented claims.

Representation changes the file. The numeric value of the same file rises in most cases as a function of how it is presented, not what it is.

What to bring to a consultation

A short list that makes a first meeting useful:

Police or incident report (Shreveport Police Department, Bossier City Police Department, Caddo Parish Sheriff, Bossier Parish Sheriff, or Louisiana State Police)
Medical records and bills available to date
Photographs of the scene, vehicles, and visible injuries
Names and contact information for witnesses
Insurance correspondence (claim numbers, adjuster names, offers received)
Documentation of lost wages or time off work
Names of treating providers, even ones the claimant has only seen once
A short written timeline of events

Nothing on the list is mandatory. A consultation can proceed on what the claimant remembers. The list saves time and sharpens the evaluation.

Settlement versus trial in Shreveport-Bossier cases

Insurer-reported data indicate that most personal injury cases filed in Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish settle without a jury trial. A small percentage are tried to verdict.

What raises settlement value is the credible threat of trial. Insurers and defense firms track which plaintiffs’ firms try cases and which always fold before trial. A firm that has tried cases to verdict, including large verdicts, shifts the calculus on the file from the day the carrier sees the representation. Trial capacity is a settlement-value lever even on cases that settle.

For the firm’s verdict record, see the case-results page.

What Should You Do Immediately After an Accident in Louisiana?

The first seventy-two hours after an injury matter more to the file than most claimants realize.

Report the incident. Call law enforcement for a motor vehicle collision (Shreveport Police Department, Bossier City Police Department, Caddo or Bossier Parish Sheriff, or Louisiana State Police, depending on jurisdiction).
Calendar the two-year prescription deadline. Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1 starts the clock on the date of injury (for injuries occurring after July 1, 2024; earlier injuries were subject to the prior one-year period).

Discuss Your Shreveport-Bossier Injury Matter With Trey Morris Injury Lawyers

If you are evaluating a personal injury claim in Caddo Parish, Bossier Parish, or anywhere in Northwest Louisiana, Trey Morris Injury Lawyers’ lights are on and the door is open. Consultations are free and run as long as needed to walk through the facts of the incident, the medical situation, and the next steps.

The firm operates six Louisiana offices: Shreveport (headquarters), Bossier City, Covington, Minden, Ruston, and Lake Charles. Founder Trey Morris was born and raised in Northwest Louisiana.

Call 318-221-1508 or reach the firm through the contact form. There is no fee unless the case is successful.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a personal injury case worth in Shreveport, Louisiana?: Case value turns on the medical specials, the wage loss, the strength of liability, the venue, and the available insurance coverage. Any number quoted before a file review is a guess. Louisiana Civil Code article 2315 provides for recovery of past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages and earning capacity, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. Loss of consortium is available to a spouse. Punitive damages are confined to specific authorizing statutes, principally Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.4 for DWI-related injuries.
What is the contingency fee for a personal injury lawyer in Louisiana?: The Louisiana State Bar Association reports that Louisiana lawyers operate under Rule 1.5 of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct, which requires that contingency fees be reasonable, in writing, and clear on how expenses are calculated. The standard structure is no-fee-unless-recovery: the firm advances case costs and is paid only if the case resolves favorably. Specific percentages and cost handling are set out in the written engagement letter; the letter, not a general rule, controls the relationship.
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Louisiana?: Two years from the date of injury under Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1 for most claims arising from injuries occurring after July 1, 2024 (earlier injuries were subject to the prior one-year period). Medical malpractice is governed by Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:5628, which sets a three-year hard cutoff from the act or omission with a one-year period running from discovery. Claims against government defendants use the same two-year period with no pre-suit notice (Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5108), but service must be requested within 90 days of filing (13:5107(D)). Wrongful death and survival actions run under Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.1 and Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.2. A lawyer should review the specific facts to confirm the deadline for any particular claim.
Does Louisiana use comparative fault in personal injury cases?: Yes, and the rule changed as of January 1, 2026. For causes of action arising on or after that date, Louisiana Civil Code article 2323 provides a modified comparative fault rule with a 51 percent bar under Act No. 15 of the 2025 Regular Session (House Bill 431): a claimant at 50 percent fault or below recovers damages reduced by that percentage, and a claimant at 51 percent or more recovers nothing. Causes of action arising before January 1, 2026 are governed by Louisiana's prior pure comparative fault rule, under which recovery was reduced by the claimant's fault percentage but never barred. Texas applies its own 51 percent bar under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 33.001.
What damages can I recover in a Louisiana personal injury claim?: Economic damages: past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, and out-of-pocket costs. Non-economic damages: physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of consortium for a spouse. Punitive damages are available only when a specific Louisiana statute authorizes them, principally Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.4 for injuries caused by intoxicated motor vehicle operators.
How long does a personal injury case take to settle in Louisiana?: A settlement-track case typically resolves within nine to eighteen months after treatment is substantially complete. A litigation-track case filed in the Louisiana First Judicial District Court (Caddo Parish) or the Louisiana Twenty-Sixth Judicial District Court (Bossier Parish) generally runs twenty-four to thirty-six months from filing through trial, sometimes longer for catastrophic-injury matters. The dividing line is the gap between the carrier's valuation and what the file supports. When that gap closes, the case settles. When it does not, the case is tried.
Should I give a recorded statement to the insurance company after a Louisiana accident?: Not to the at-fault driver's insurer, and not without legal advice. The Louisiana Department of Insurance and consumer-protection guidance from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners describe how recorded statements taken before treatment is complete are routinely used to reduce claim value. The claimant's own insurer is a different question; some policies require prompt notice and cooperation, and that obligation should be reviewed against the policy language and the facts of the loss before the call.
What should I bring to my first consultation with a Shreveport personal injury attorney?: The police or incident report (Shreveport Police Department, Bossier City Police Department, Caddo or Bossier Parish Sheriff, or Louisiana State Police), medical records and bills to date, photographs of the scene and visible injuries, names and contact information for witnesses, insurance correspondence including claim numbers and adjuster contacts, documentation of lost wages, names of treating providers, and a short written timeline of events. None of it is mandatory; all of it sharpens the evaluation.
Will my Shreveport personal injury case settle or go to trial?: Most cases settle. A small percentage are tried to verdict. Settlement value rises when the plaintiff's firm has a credible record of trying cases to verdict, because insurers and defense firms track which firms fold and which try. Trial capacity is a settlement lever even on cases that ultimately settle.
Who voted Trey Morris Injury Lawyers the best personal injury law firm in Shreveport-Bossier?: Northwest Louisiana voters, through the Shreveport-Bossier Choice Awards public vote, administered by the SBC Advocate. The SBC Advocate reports that Trey Morris Injury Lawyers received Gold in Best Personal Injury Law in both 2024 and 2025, and moved from Silver to Gold in Best Law Firm between 2024 and 2025. Voting is open to the public, free to participate in, and the results are published by the SBC Advocate at the close of each cycle.