100 years + of collective legal malpractice experience

Understanding the importance of attorney specialization

by | Oct 7, 2017 | Professional Malpractice |

You hire an attorney in Jacksonville typically based off one simple assumption: That he or she knows the law. Unfortunately, based off of some of the experiences of past clients that we here at St. Denis & Davey have worked with, many view the law to be a single collective set of principles rather than several different series of statutes. Every legal discipline has volume after volume of different regulations, some so vast that even those attorneys and judges who specialize in them sometimes struggle in their interpretation. The question is do you have any legal recourse when one does? 

Information shared by the American Bar Association shows that a general failure to know and apply the law is the most common reason behind legal malpractice claims in the U.S. It is understandable that when you need the services of an attorney, you would prefer to go with one who you already know and trust. Yet simply because your neighbor is a divorce lawyer does not mean that he or she is qualified to argue your criminal case. Most attorneys specialize in a limited number of practice areas. Outside of those areas, they may know little more about the laws surrounding a case than you do. 

If you secure the services of an attorney having been told that your complaint is not in an area that he or she specializes in, then it may be difficult for you to argue that you have been the victim of legal malpractice if he or she fails to apply the law properly in your case. However, if he or she advertises an expertise in a certain area and then fails to deliver, you may have grounds to complain. 

More information on identifying cases of professional malpractice can be found here on our site.