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How to Sue Your Attorney for Malpractice
To bring a lawsuit against an attorney for negligence, you need to prove that the breach of duty resulted in negative financial, legal, or other consequences for you. You must prove an immediate connection between the attorney's negligence and the negative result.
Matters of strategy do not count as legal malpractice but if your lawyer does not file a lawsuit on time and you lose the case, this could be a type of malpractice.
Inappropriate use of funds
The misuse of funds by lawyers is one of the most common kinds of legal negligence. Attorneys have a fiduciary relationship with their clients and are required to act with the utmost trust and fidelity, especially when handling money or other property that the client has given to them.
If a client pays their retainer and the lawyer is required by law to put that money in a separate escrow account that is exclusively utilized for 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 obligations and could be accused of legal misconduct.
As an example, suppose that a customer hires their attorney to represent them in a lawsuit against a driver who hit them as they were crossing the street. The client has evidence that the driver was negligent and can prove that the accident caused their injuries. The lawyer however fails to comply with the law and is unable to file the case on time. The lawsuit is dismissed, and the party who was injured suffers a financial loss because of the lawyer's error.
The statute of limitations restricts the time that you can pursue a lawyer's malpractice. It is often difficult to determine if an injury or loss is caused by the attorney's negligence. A qualified New York attorney with experience in the field of malpractice law can explain the time limit to you and help you determine if your situation is a suitable candidate for a legal malpractice suit.
Failure to adhere to the professional rules of conduct
Legal malpractice occurs when an attorney fails to adhere to the generally accepted standards of professional conduct, and causes harm to the client. It is a requirement of the four elements of most torts: an attorney-client relationship and a duty, breach and proximate cause.
A few common examples of misconduct include a lawyer mixing their personal and trust account funds, failing to bring suit within the timeframe set by the statute of limitations or taking on cases where they aren't competent, not conducting an investigation into conflicts, malpractice Lawyer and not keeping up-to-date on court proceedings or new developments in law that could impact the case. Lawyers also have a duty to communicate with clients in a timely manner. This doesn't just mean the use of faxes and email, but also answering phone calls promptly.
It is also possible for attorneys to commit fraud. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as lying to the client or to anyone else involved in the case. In this instance, it is important to have the facts on your possession to determine if the attorney was deceitful. It's also a violation of the attorney-client contract if an attorney takes on a case that is outside of their area of expertise and fails to inform the client about this or advise them to seek separate counsel.
Inability to provide advice
If a client decides to hire an attorney, it indicates that their legal situation has been beyond their expertise and knowledge. They are unable to solve the problem by themselves. It is the lawyer's duty to provide advice to clients regarding the merits of a particular case along with the costs and risks involved, as well as their rights. When an attorney fails to perform this, they could be guilty of malpractice lawyer [url].
Many legal malpractice claims stem from of poor communication between attorneys, and their clients. An attorney might not return a calls or fail to inform their clients of a specific decision they made on their behalf. A lawyer may also fail to disclose important information about the case or fail divulge any issues with the transaction.
A client can sue an attorney if they have suffered financial losses as a result of the negligence of the lawyer. These losses should be documented. This requires evidence, like email files and client files, or other correspondence between an attorney and a client, as well bills. In the event of fraud, or theft an expert witness might be required to examine the case.
Inability to Follow the Law
Attorneys are required to adhere to the law and know how it applies in specific circumstances. If they don't, they could be guilty of malpractice. Examples include mixing funds from clients with their own using settlement proceeds to pay for personal expenses and not performing basic due diligence.
Another instance of legal misconduct is failure to file an action within the statute of limitations, ignoring deadlines for filing with the court, and not following the Rules of Professional Conduct. Attorneys are also obligated to disclose any material conflicts of interests. They must inform clients of any financial or personal interest that could affect their judgment when representing them.
Attorneys must also follow the instructions of their clients. Attorneys are required to follow the directions of clients unless it is clear that the action is not beneficial.
To prevail in a malpractice lawsuit the plaintiff must show that the lawyer acted in violation of his duty of care. It isn't easy to prove that the defendant's lapses or actions caused harm. It's also not enough to show that the result of the attorney's negligence was bad; for a malpractice law firms claim to be successful, it has to be proved that there is a high likelihood that the plaintiff would have won their case if the defendant had followed standard practice.