Malpractice in legal proceedings can lead to significant negative impacts. When you hire a lawyer, you expect them to handle your case with utmost care and professionalism. However, while most will act as expected, some may not. They may be incompetent or unethical.
This guide discusses three common causes of legal malpractice. They include:
1. Too much work
Undoubtedly, being a lawyer can be challenging, as they work on different cases at a time. However, this should not be an excuse for incompetence or not serving one client as required. An attorney can take as many cases as they want, provided they have a plan and a team to serve each competently. They should have adequate time to research each case, meet deadlines, attend hearings and so on.
2. Poor planning
Dates and deadlines are crucial in a case. When a lawyer misses a deadline or forgets a vital date, a client may suffer damages. For this reason, an attorney should be skilled in planning or at least hire someone who can manage their calendar. Every event should be included in the calendar with a reminder, perhaps one or two days prior.
Another poor planning behavior is the failure to organize documents. Collecting and digitizing forms and documents ensures an attorney submits them on time. Documents should be put in respective folders to avoid confusion.
3. Failure to assess a case before taking it
A lawyer needs to evaluate cases in-depth before taking them. Failure to do this, one may realize later that a case requires more than they thought, be it skills, resources or time. If a lawyer in this situation can’t find needed help sooner, they may offer substandard services.
Legal malpractice can be avoided with proper organization and working with a team. If you have experienced this, you should consider your options to protect your rights.
Subscribe To This Blog’s Feed