Legal & Professional Malpractice Attorneys
Our lawyers uphold the high standards of the legal profession
When you hire an attorney to represent you, you have the right to expect that they will follow professional standards and put your best interests first. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Legal malpractice can cause clients significant losses: not just financial cost, but also the loss of an opportunity to have your rights vindicated. The consequences can last a lifetime. Our job is to make it right.
Walsh Woodard, LLC routinely handles legal malpractice cases throughout Connecticut and our attorneys would be happy to speak with you regarding the circumstances of your situation. If you have been harmed by legal or professional malpractice, feel free to give us a call or contact us online to discuss your rights and options.
Contact Walsh Woodard today for a free consultation
Legal malpractice cases are complex and often difficult to win, but the right attorney can make all the difference. The experienced lawyers at Walsh Woodard know how to litigate legal malpractice claims and get winning results. We conduct thorough investigations, hire the right experts, and build legal strategies that put our clients in the best position to win. Some of our attorneys have even served as expert witnesses in legal malpractice cases involving personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers, so we have added insight on that side of the process as well.
If you believe you have been wronged by your attorney or another professional, please give us a call or contact us online today for a free consultation.
Legal malpractice is an attorney’s failure to follow the standard of care they owe to their clients. To prove a legal malpractice claim, you need to prove four elements:
- There was an attorney-client relationship at the time of the alleged malpractice,
- The attorney committed a wrongful action or omission, or acted in a way that deviated from the applicable standard of care,
- The wrongful conduct caused you harm, directly or indirectly, and
- You suffered damages or losses as a result.
Just because a case leads to an unfavorable outcome does not mean the attorney committed malpractice. Malpractice means the attorney was negligent in how they handled the case, committing errors that fell below the standard of care that a prudent, reputable attorney would have followed under the circumstances.
Expert witnesses play a key role in legal malpractice cases. Usually, the expert witness is an attorney with extensive experience handling the same types of cases. Such an expert can explain the applicable professional standards of care for an attorney handling those types of cases. The expert can also explain how the case would have unfolded differently if the attorney had done their job properly and help quantify the damages suffered by the client.
Legal malpractice claims also require a thorough investigation, both of the attorney’s handling of the case and the underlying case itself. There are often hundreds or even thousands of documents that need to be reviewed, witnesses who must be deposed, and so on. The defendant attorney’s liability insurance company will work to minimize or deny the claim. Our job is to level the playing field.
- Missing deadlines, such as the statute of limitations, which can cause a case to be dismissed as untimely. Missed deadlines can be incredibly damaging because you lose your opportunity to have your day in court.
- Inadequately investigating your case, whether in pre-litigation or during discovery. This can have significant consequences if a reasonable investigation would have discovered important facts.
- Acting without your informed consent. Attorneys work for their clients, not the other way around. If an attorney takes action without your consent or fails to follow your instructions, that constitutes potential malpractice.
- Taking a case they are not qualified to handle. While attorneys are not required to “specialize” in particular areas of law, they are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the law and procedures that apply to their cases and for only taking cases they are qualified and experienced to handle. Remember, an attorney can always decline a case or refer it out to another attorney with more experience in that area of law.
- Ignoring or failing to disclose conflicts of interest, such as relationships with other parties in a lawsuit, conflicts between one client’s interests and another’s, or a financial stake in the outcome. Some types of conflicts of interest should stop an attorney from taking on a case at all; others may not be so prohibitive, but they at least need to be disclosed so the client can make an informed decision.
- Failing to communicate with you, other parties, or the court. An attorney’s failure to communicate can have significant implications for their client’s case and may also indicate other issues with the lawyer’s representation.
Walsh Woodard handles legal malpractice cases against attorneys in all areas of law, including personal injury, workers’ compensation, family law, criminal defense, real estate law, estate planning, and business law.
In Connecticut, you generally have up to three years from the date of the alleged malpractice to pursue a legal malpractice clam. However, this deadline can vary in its application depending on the circumstances, so it’s always best to talk to an attorney as soon as possible once you learn of your potential legal malpractice claim. In addition to protecting your rights, getting legal advice right away ensures that your attorney can conduct an effective investigation and has the time to build a winning strategy.
Our attorneys handle professional malpractice and negligence cases on a contingency fee basis. That means you don’t have to pay us anything up front or out of pocket. If we secure a settlement or verdict for you, then our fee is a percentage of your recovery. If we don’t win, you don’t owe us a fee at all. It’s that simple.
