Legal Malpractice Cases
Has a lawyer ruined your case?
If so, you now want justice, and this article explains how to get it. Of course, we are assuming you made the mistake of hiring someone other than McCready Law the first time! So what exactly is legal malpractice?
But first, let’s start at the beginning. Someone damaged you, so you hired an attorney to counsel you and represent your interests. Unfortunately, he only made matters worse.
Maybe a drunk driver ran a red light, destroyed your car and injured you badly. Possibly, your business partner ran off with funds needed to run your firm, so now you’re ruined. Unfortunately, people injure others in many ways, and when that happens, they hire lawyers to set things right.
Regrettably, in your case, instead of righting the wrongs done to you, your lawyer botched your case.
Was Your Lawyer Negligent?
You need to know that you can sue your attorney if she made any of the following mistakes: First, your advocate might have committed negligence, which means she…
• Missed the statute of limitations for filing your case, so it got thrown out. You received nothing for all your trouble.
• Missed other deadlines, which hurt your case.
• Failed to properly investigate your situation.
• Failed to apply the law correctly to your case.
• Didn’t prepare properly for your trial, so you lost or didn’t get as much money as you deserved.
• Didn’t follow court orders.
Did Your Lawyer Neglect His Fiduciary Responsibility?
Your lawyer might also have failed in his fiduciary responsibility to you, which means that he might have…
• Represented another client, such as someone else involved in your case, and that cost you money.
• Became involved with someone, and that damaged your case. For example, your attorney could have had an affair with the wife of an important witness, so that person refused to testify on your behalf.
• Made sexual advances towards you.
• Lied to you about significant facts involving your case.
• Failed to inform you about settlement proposals.
• Without your approval, resolved your dispute for less than it was worth.
• Improperly used money that belonged to you.
Did Your Attorney Violate the Terms of His Contract?
Finally, your attorney might have violated the terms of his contract with you by, for example,
• Not filing a foreclosure action, which he contracted to do.
• Failing to file a mechanics’ lien.
• Not researching patent applications.
You now know that your lawyer committed one or more of these wrongs. Sadly, that cost you time, money, aggravation and emotional distress.
How to Choose a Legal Malpractice Attorney
So what can you do about it? You can sue that lawyer.
Please don’t let your bad experience with another attorney prevent you from exercising your rights now and getting the money you deserve. This time, ask the following questions to locate a good, honest advocate who specializes in legal malpractice.
• Has she previously tried a legal malpractice case? If so, how many?
• What types of verdicts has the prospective attorney obtained?
• How many legal malpractice cases has she handled? (Most never go to trial.) The more experience the attorney has, the better.
We know that this is a lot of information to digest in one sitting, especially when you’re feeling distraught about how your lawyer handled your case.
That’s why we at McCready, Garcia and Leet P.C. offer you a free, no pressure consultation with our friendly, caring legal malpractice attorney.
If you want to learn more, simply call us at (773) 779-9885. McCready Law specializes in personal injury, workers’ compensation and disability cases. If you have a question about whether you may be liable, always feel free to contact us.