Pursuing Malpractice Claims on Behalf of Individuals and Businesses
When an attorney agrees to advise a client on any legal matter, he or she has a responsibility to research the facts and law adequately and provide the client with an honest, sound assessment of the situation at hand. A lawyer may not be able to predict the consequences of a particular course of action with 100 percent certainty, but he or she should be able to explain the possible outcomes and the relative likelihood of each of those outcomes.
At the Dallas-area law firm of Schachter Harris, LLP, our Texas legal negligence lawyers help individuals and businesses pursue legal malpractice claims against attorneys who have given them poor legal advice. Most often, lawyers provide poor advice for one of two reasons:
- Lawyers in over their heads: Far too many businesses find themselves in trouble that could have been avoided, even though they consulted with lawyers before acting. The reason is simple: attorneys hate to turn away work; accordingly, they will undertake assignments for which they lack expertise or even competence. The law has become increasingly complex and specialized, and even the best lawyer cannot have expertise in all areas of practice. A good lawyer will candidly admit his or her lack of knowledge and refer a matter to someone who has the requisite expertise.
- Lawyers too eager to please: Professionalism sometimes requires telling the client, "no." When a client wants to do something that is excessively risky, his or her attorney needs to explain those risks in straightforward language and, when appropriate, advise against what the client wants. Lawyers who tell their clients what they want to hear, as opposed to what they need to hear, out of fear that they will bolt to competitors who are more accommodating are committing malpractice.
If you have suffered losses after taking a course of action that your lawyer advised you to take or failed to advise you against, our attorneys can help you determine whether you have a malpractice claim. Please contact us to schedule a free consultation to discuss your options.
