Were You a Victim of Legal Malpractice?

By Kelly Balamuth on July 3, 2015

Did you hire a lawyer who broke your trust, who caused your case to end unfavorably due to incompetency or intentional misrepresentation? Are you now facing serious repercussions because of this? When an attorney does not properly do his or her job, the client may have grounds for a legal malpractice claim and recover the damages incurred by the attorney’s failure to fulfill his or her professional duty.

The common forms of legal malpractice include the following:

• Failure to file a motion before the deadline
• Failure to appear at a court hearing
• Overbilling
• Mistakes or errors in legal documents or contracts
• Disregarding client’s wishes regarding legal actions
• Failure to gather and present important evidence at trial
• Failure to obtain witnesses or experts

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of legal malpractice reports. According to the American Bar Association, the number of legal malpractice cases worth $2 million or more jumped 60 percent between 1996 and 2003. Claims involving damages under $10,000 rose by 8 percent in the same period. However, as many reports as there are, the majority lead to no discipline. In 2006, out of 123,927 complaints, 92 percent led to no discipline or only informal slaps on the wrist.

The reason why these cases are so hard to litigate successfully is because the distinction between a reasonable case loss and egregious incompetence is difficult to draw. Only an attorney who is well versed in the workings of the legal system can prove that you were a victim of legal malpractice.

At Balamuth Law, our aggressive attorneys have successfully litigated cases against multiple attorneys for bad practice. To learn more about how our firm can help you, call us today at (925) 254-1234. We offer free consultations.