Few legal matters are without deadlines. Both in and out of court, an attorney’s duty of care to their clients includes completing filing, notice, service and other legal acts on time in accord with required legal deadlines. The most obvious example is missing the...
Duty of Care
The building blocks of a legal malpractice claim
Today we go back to the basics that define legal malpractice. When an attorney fails to adhere to a reasonable duty of care in the legal matter they took on for a client and the client suffers harm as a result, the client has a claim for attorney malpractice that can...
Did your lawyer make a mistake in your real estate matter?
When a party purchases real estate, they usually have an intended use for the parcel. It is common to retain an attorney to facilitate the transaction. The clients reasonably expect that the lawyer will do what needs to be done to transfer ownership of the real estate...
Legal malpractice: Dabbling in military divorce is risky
People get divorced every day and most family lawyers provide reasonable advocacy, advice and representation. State law governs dissolution of marriage, so most divorce attorneys develop knowledge and skill specific to their states’ applicable laws. But when a...
Client challenges lawyers’ handling of Gatlinburg fire lawsuit
An attorney or law firm can make a negligent mistake in almost any area of law if they breach their reasonable duty of care to their client. When legal malpractice occurs during litigation, the client can suffer severe losses, mostly financial. Depending on the nature...
Legal malpractice: Expert testimony on a lawyer’s duty of care
We often write in this space about the required elements of a legal malpractice claim. Broadly, in an attorney-client relationship, the lawyer has a reasonable duty of care in the representation of the client. If legal counsel negligently breaches their duty of care...
Case-within-a-case: Did your lawyer mishandle your lawsuit?
For a legal dispute to make it to court, it is normally a major event to those involved on both sides of the conflict – whether plaintiff or defendant. So many factors influence the nature of what is at stake: Is the suit personal or commercial? Are the potential...
Missing a legal filing deadline may seem minor, but it could cost you
When you retain a lawyer to represent you in a lawsuit or other legal matter, you have the reasonable expectation that the attorney will protect your interests and carry out their professional responsibilities to you with due care. Certainly, you should not have to...
Can your lawyer be liable for leaving out an important provision in a contract?
Were you harmed because your attorney did not include a key term in a business agreement or personal contract? Failure to include a crucial contractual provision may be the basis for a legal malpractice, attorney negligence or breach of fiduciary duty claim if it...
Did you lose a lawsuit because of your attorney’s negligence?
When the verdict goes against you in court, it can be shocking – and expensive. This is especially upsetting if you believe it was because of your lawyer’s negligence. An attorney has an ongoing duty when representing a client in litigation to exercise reasonable care...