Legal Malpractice
Many lawyers refuse to handle cases that involve suing another lawyer. But Mark believes the reputation of the legal profession depends on accountability. Lawyers do not deserve special treatment to avoid liability for their misconduct, negligence, misrepresentations, or dishonesty.
An honest or simple mistake by a lawyer may not be legal malpractice, and a negative outcome is not automatically legal malpractice or a breach of fiduciary duty. Every situation is fact-specific and must be evaluated carefully.
Legal malpractice takes on many forms, including:
- Failure to file a lawsuit within the statute of limitations
- Falsely or inaccurately telling a client about the status of a matter
- Taking on matters the lawyer is not competent to handle
- Messing with deadlines with negative effects
- Being unqualified to litigate a case
- Settling a claim or lawsuit without client authorization
- Failure to keep a client reasonably informed
- Neglecting a case or client matter
Mark welcomes the challenge of investigating these and related issues to uncover any fact that may have contributed to ineffective or incompetent representation. This can include seeking disclosure of information from your previous lawyer and examining documents, communications, court proceedings, and records.
Contacting an experienced and knowledgeable attorney who can evaluate what happened and why is a reasonable and smart thing to do, so please contact Mark at 214-219-4220.