When you enlist the services of legal counsel, you expect them to provide competent and diligent representation while adhering to the ethical standards and laws governing their profession. While this should ideally be the case, legal malpractice still happens, sometimes causing clients to suffer financial losses, emotional distress and potential harm to their legal rights and interests. This combination of professional wrongdoing coupled with harm is known as legal malpractice.
If you suspect legal malpractice, you may be able to pursue legal recourse. Legal malpractice can take many forms, including the following.
Conflict of interest
This is a serious form of legal malpractice that occurs when an attorney’s personal interests or relationships interfere with their duty to act solely in the best interests of their client. This can manifest in various ways such as representing multiple clients with conflicting interests, engaging in business transactions with clients without proper disclosure or having personal relationships with parties involved in the case that may compromise the attorney’s impartiality.
Breach of confidentiality
If your attorney fails to maintain the confidentiality of your communications or information shared during the attorney-client relationship, it can severely compromise your legal rights and interests. Confidentiality is a crucial aspect of the attorney-client relationship and attorneys are ethically and legally obligated to keep all client information confidential, except in specific circumstances where disclosure is permitted or required by law.
Missing deadlines
Deadlines are crucial in the legal system and as a client, you rely on your attorney to handle them with care and precision. Whether it’s failing to file court documents within the prescribed timeframe, missing statutes of limitations for filing claims or neglecting important deadlines for responding to motions or discovery requests, such oversights can cause the loss of your legal rights, dismissal of your case or adverse judgments against you.
At the end of the day, seeking legal guidance from counsel experienced in legal malpractice cases can help determine the best course of action to better protect your rights and interests.
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