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How to Sue Your Attorney for Malpractice
To sue your attorney for negligence, you must show that their breach of duty caused legal, monetary or other negative outcomes for you. It is not enough to prove that the negligence of your attorney was injurious it is also necessary to establish an immediate link between the breach and the undesirable outcome.
Legal malpractice doesn't include matters of strategy. If you lose a case because your lawyer didn't file the lawsuit on time this could be considered the result of malpractice.
Misuse of funds
The misuse of funds by lawyers is among the most common types of legal negligence. Lawyers are bound by a fiduciary obligation to their clients and must act with trust and fidelity when handling funds or any other property that the client has entrusted them with.
When a client makes a payment for their retainer, the lawyer is required by law to put that money in a separate escrow fund that is only utilized for that particular case. If the attorney mixes the escrow account with their own personal funds, malpractice lawyer or uses it for other purposes that is a clear breach of fiduciary responsibility and could result in legal malpractice.
For example, imagine that a client employs their attorney to represent them in a lawsuit against a driver who struck them as they were walking along the street. The client can prove the driver's negligence as well as that the accident caused the injuries they sustained. However, their lawyer misses the deadline and is not able to file the case within the timeframe. The lawsuit is dismissed and the person who was injured is financially harmed because of the lawyer's error.
The time frame for suing an attorney for malpractice is limited by a statute that limits the time for suing that can be difficult to determine in a situation where a loss or injury resulted from the negligence of the attorney. A reputable New York attorney with experience in malpractice law can explain the statute of limitations to you and help you determine if your situation is suitable for a legal malpractice lawsuit.
Disobedience to the Rules of Professional Conduct
Legal malpractice is when an attorney does not adhere to the generally accepted standards of professional conduct, and causes harm to the client. It entails the same four elements as most torts, including an attorney-client relationship as well as a duty, breach, and proximate causation.
Some examples of malpractice are a lawyer mixing their personal and trust funds, not submitting claims in time to file a suit within the time limits, taking cases where they are not competent, failing to carry out an investigation into conflicts and not being up to the latest court proceedings or any recent developments in law that could affect the case. Lawyers have a responsibility to communicate with their clients in a fair and reasonable manner. This is not limited to the use of faxes and email, but also the ability to return phone calls promptly.
It is also possible for attorneys to commit fraud. This can happen in various ways, including lying to the client or anyone else involved in the case. It is crucial to know the facts so that you can determine if the lawyer was dishonest. It also constitutes a breach of the attorney-client contract if an attorney accepts an assignment that is not within the scope of their expertise and fails to inform the client of this or recommend seeking separate counsel.
Failure to provide advice
When a client hires an attorney, it indicates that their legal matter has become beyond their knowledge and knowledge. They are unable solve the issue themselves. Lawyers are required to inform clients of the advantages of the case, the potential risks and costs involved, and their rights. If a lawyer fails to do this may be liable.
Many legal malpractice claims stem from of poor communication between attorneys and their clients. A lawyer may not answer a phone calls or fail to inform their clients about a specific decision made in their behalf. An attorney may also be unable to share important information about a case or fail to disclose known problems with a transaction.
A client may sue an attorney if they have suffered financial losses due to the lawyer's negligence. The losses should be documented. This requires evidence, like client files and emails, or other correspondence between an attorney and client, and also bills. In the event of fraud or theft it could also be required to engage an expert witness to review the case.
Inability to Follow the Law
Attorneys must be in compliance with the law and be aware of what it means in specific situations. If they don't and they don't, they could be found guilty of misconduct. Examples include mixing funds from clients with theirs using settlement proceeds to pay for personal expenses and not doing basic due diligence.
Other instances of legal malpractice include failure to file a suit within the statute of limitation, missing court filing deadlines and not observing the Rules of Professional Conduct. Attorneys must also disclose any conflicts of interests. They must disclose to clients any personal or financial interest that might affect their judgment when representing them.
Additionally, attorneys are required to abide by the instructions of their clients. If a customer instructs them to take particular action an attorney must follow those instructions unless there is an obvious reason why it is not beneficial or feasible.
To win a malpractice lawyer suit the plaintiff has to prove that the lawyer violated their duty of care. This can be a challenge, as it requires showing that the defendant's actions or inaction caused damages. It is not enough to prove that the attorney's error caused a negative outcome. A malpractice lawyers claim must also demonstrate that there was a high likelihood that the plaintiff's lawsuit could have been settled if the defendant had followed the standard procedure.