How to Sue Your Attorney for Malpractice

To sue your attorney on charges of malpractice, you have to prove that their breach of duty caused legal, monetary or other negative outcomes for you. It's not enough to prove the negligence of your attorney was injurious it is also necessary to establish a direct link between the breach and the undesirable outcome.

Legal malpractice does not include matters of strategy. However, if you lose a case due to your lawyer didn't file the lawsuit within the timeframe it could be a case of the result of malpractice.

The misuse of funds

One of the most common types of legal malpractice involves the misuse by a lawyer of funds. Attorneys are bound by a fiduciary duty to their clients and must behave with trust and fidelity when handling money or other property the client has entrusted them with.

If a client pays their retainer the lawyer is obligated by law to keep that money in a separate funds that are only utilized for malpractice lawyers that particular case. If the attorney makes use of the escrow fund to pursue personal goals or mix it with their own funds it is in violation of their fiduciary responsibilities and could be accused of legal misconduct.

Imagine, for example that a customer hires an attorney to represent him in a suit filed against a motorist whose car hit them as they crossed the street. The client has the ability to prove driver's negligence and the accident led to their injuries. Their lawyer, however, misses the statute and is unable file the case on time. Therefore, Malpractice Lawyers the case is dismissed and the party who was injured is liable for financial losses because of the lawyer's mistake.

The time limit to sue an attorney for malpractice lawyers is limited by a statute of limitation which can be difficult to calculate in a situation where a loss or injury resulted from the attorney's negligence. A competent New York attorney with experience in malpractice law can explain the statute of limitations to you and assist you to determine if your situation is a good candidate for a legal malpractice suit.

Failure to Follow the Rules of Professional Conduct

Legal Malpractice Lawyers is the case when a lawyer doesn't adhere to the generally accepted standards of professional practice and causes harm to the client. It requires the same four elements of most torts, which are an attorney-client relationship, a duty, a breach, and proximate causation.

A few examples of malpractice include lawyers who mix personal and trust funds, not submitting claims in time to file a suit within the statute of limitations, pursuing cases in which they're not competent, failing to carry out an investigation into conflicts and not staying up to the current court proceedings or any recent developments in law that could impact the case. Lawyers must communicate with their clients in a timely manner. This isn't just limited to email or fax and includes also answering phone calls in a timely manner.

It is also possible for lawyers to engage in fraud. This can be done in various ways, which includes lying to the client or to anyone involved in a case. It is important to know the facts so you can determine if the attorney was untruthful. It's also a violation of the attorney-client contract when an attorney is assigned an assignment that is not within the scope of their area of expertise and does not inform the client of this or suggest that they seek separate counsel.

Failure to Advise

If a client engages an attorney, it is a sign that they've reached a point where their legal situation is beyond their expertise and experience and they are no longer able to resolve it by themselves. It is the job of the lawyer to inform clients of the benefits of a case as well as the risks and costs involved, as well as their rights. If a lawyer fails to do this could be held accountable.

Many legal malpractice claims result from a lack of communication between lawyers and their clients. A lawyer may not answer a the phone or fail inform their clients of a specific decision they made on their behalf. An attorney may also fail to communicate important details regarding a particular case, or fail to inform clients of issues in an transaction.

A client may sue an attorney if they've suffered financial losses due to the lawyer's negligence. The losses must be documented, which will require evidence like client files emails, client files, and other correspondence between the attorney and the client, as well as bills. In the event of fraud, or theft an expert witness could be needed to investigate the case.

Inability to Follow the Law

Attorneys are required to adhere to the law and understand the laws that apply to specific situations. They could be found guilty of malpractice if they do not. Examples include mixing client funds with their own or using settlement funds to pay for personal expenses, and failing to exercise basic due diligence.

Other instances of legal malpractice include failure to file a suit within the time limit and missing court filing deadlines and not following the Rules of Professional Conduct. Attorneys are also obligated to disclose any conflicts of interest. They must inform clients of any personal or financial interest which could affect their judgment when representing them.

In addition, attorneys are required to follow instructions from their clients. If a client asks them to take particular action an attorney must follow those instructions unless there is an obvious reason why it would not be advantageous or is not feasible.

To win a malpractice lawsuit the plaintiff must show that the lawyer acted in violation of his duty of care. It can be difficult to establish that the defendant's inaction or actions resulted in damage. It is not enough to prove that the attorney's error caused a negative outcome. A malpractice claim must also show that there was a significant likelihood that the plaintiff's case could have been won had the defendant followed standard practices.