Two prominent law firms, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, are embroiled in a bankruptcy battle over a $45 million Hamptons property sale. The property in question is linked to Nir Meir, a real estate tycoon facing charges of fraud following the collapse of the once distinguished real estate empire HFZ…
Gibbons PC tops this week’s edition of Law360 Legal Lions, as noted by Emily Johnson. Achieving an initial victory for its client, a Kirkland & Ellis LLP attorney accused of bungling an estate planning matter, the firm played a vital role in a contentious legal malpractice case. The alleged errors in estate planning reportedly cost…
A legal malpractice claim has been filed in Chicago by a man who alleges that a deceased attorney and his estate failed to act competently in the filing of a will contest prior to the attorney’s death, thereby causing harm to the man’s legal rights. The suit seeks damages for the alleged professional negligence. The…
Dorsey & Whitney, a leading U.S. law firm, is facing legal malpractice accusations by a former oil executive, according to a Star Tribune report. The complainant alleges that the law firm mishandled a separate malpractice claim against his former lawyers at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. Dorsey has rejected these allegations, underlining that the plaintiff,…
The Georgia Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a legal malpractice claim against James Leonard, an attorney at Barnes & Thornburg. The dismissal came following a complaint lodged against Leonard by his former client, Cynthia Cox-Ott, who accused him of professional negligence, breach of contract, and legal expenses in relation to a dismissed…
The legal industry has considerably evolved in its stance on legal malpractice clients who are suing other attorneys. While once considered stigmatized, this is far less the case now as evidenced by recent trends. Bloomberg Law reports that the dollar amount of such suits has been on a significant rise in recent years. High profile…
An unresolved case regarding a botched cannabis retail endeavour has reached its end as a Washington state appeals court refused to breathe new life into a legal malpractice suit. The lawsuit was initiated by the prospective owner of the store. According to the court, the plaintiff, considered a sophisticated businessman, should have proactively continued commerce-related…
In a recent split decision, the Virginia Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a legal malpractice action involving a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. The case was deemed to be time-barred and it was determined that the attorney in question did not provide continued services following the conversion into a Chapter 7 liquidation. The case…
In a legal turn of events, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, along with former partner Todd Blanche, have counterclaimed against former clients – Adam and Daniel Kaplan. The exact contentious point circles around alleged legal malpractice, as claimed by the clients back in 2023. The law firm pronounced through court documents that the clients were, in…
Legal scholars have been carefully observing a dispute involving esteemed law firm Baker McKenzie, which could have notable implications for the firm’s business model if the firm achieves a propitious outcome. The lawsuit, a legal malpractice case, was filed in Illinois against Baker McKenzie. The crux of the contention lied in whether the case was…
In a decision that affirms the unequivocal boundaries of coverage, a Second Circuit panel declared that a legal insurer has no requirement to cover a malpractice suit brought against an attorney and his earlier employment organization. The ruling presents a significant impact on the legal sector, underscoring that some acts alleged in the underlying suit…
In a recent legal dispute, AmTrust Financial Services Inc., an insurance unit, won against a former partner at Wachtel Missry LLP. The verdict was delivered by the Second Circuit, ruling that the insurer is not obligated to pay for the legal malpractice defense costs of the law firm. The dispute further highlights the need for…
A recent lawsuit raises important questions about law firms’ responsibility, client representation, and statute of limitations in the context of mass-tort cases. David Kleynberg, an Agoura Hills, California property owner, is suing the Levin Law Group PLC. Kleynberg, whose home was decimated in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, accuses the firm of legal malpractice, claiming they…
In a notable development in malpractice litigation, a malpractice lawsuit against an Ohio attorney and their firm has been reinstated, concerning representation in a child custody case. The lawsuit, brought forward by former clients of the attorney claims that their loss was directly connected to the conduct of the attorney. According to the allegations in…
In a pivotal instance of assessing the boundaries of the statute of repose in a legal malpractice claim, Comprehensive Marketing, Inc. (“plaintiff”) brought forth a lawsuit against former attorneys (collectively, the “defendants”). The grounds for this action were based on what the plaintiff asserts to be malpractice, specifically related to legal guidance provided by their…
In a recent ruling, the Virginia Court of Appeals has given the green light for a pro se defendant’s legal malpractice suit against his own defense attorney. Mark O’Hara Wright has spent almost a decade in prison for alleged theft of deli sandwiches and two cases of beer from a grocery store, a sentence that’s…
In a recent Texas federal court decision, a local law firm’s request for a new trial in its dispute over the indemnification of a $2.75 million legal malpractice settlement was summarily rejected. The jury found in favor of New York Marine & General Insurance Co., with the court affirming that the decision was not against…
Perhaps nowhere else in legal practice does the emphasis on instantaneous decision making become more pronounced than in trial work. This real-time decision-making process often comes under scrutiny when the outcome turns out to be less desirable than anticipated, leading to legal malpractice claims launched by dissatisfied clients who tend to second guess the judgment…
A recent legal malpractice suit alleges that Jackson Lewis cost its client nearly $1M due to an alleged failure to produce key evidence.As reported by Law.com, this case draws attention to professional negligence within the legal field, focusing specifically on transactional work and its consequential impacts. In the vast scope of legal practice, the significance…
In recent allegations of legal malpractice, a law firm has been accused of missing a critical filing deadline. The core of the issue pertains to a misunderstanding around extensions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The complaint was originally surfaced by Law.com Radar. The pandemic crisis put many judicial processes on hold, with many courts granting…
A recent ruling by a federal judge in West Virginia shines a light on the nuances of legal timelines, particularly when they intersect with non-business days. The decision rejects an attorney’s motion to dismiss a legal malpractice suit on the grounds that it was filed out-of-time, affirming instead that the weekend did not count toward…
In a recent ruling, a West Virginia Supreme Court has affirmed a circuit court’s order that dismissed a legal malpractice complaint. The plaintiff claimed their lawyer, Ryan J. Flanigan of Flanigan Law Office, failed to have the blood test results from a DUI stop admitted as evidence. The decision was a split one, demonstrating a…
The Third Circuit has declared its decision to not revive parts of the legal malpractice lawsuits aimed at Polsinelli PC by an online pharmacy. The court found that the law firm’s act of delegating substantial portions of the pharmacy and its former CEO’s defense to co-counsel at WilmerHale did not constitute a violation of the…
The legal industry is rife with nuances that often govern the course and outcome of cases, and an erudite understanding of these is vital for any practicing professional. One such nuance pertains to the concept of legal malpractice. A recent ruling by the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, reiterates that without legal damages, there can…
In an interesting twist of legal proceedings, two law firms found themselves with disparate outcomes in a legal malpractice case in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The central question hanging over the case was whether lawyers representing an estate administrator owe a duty to beneficiaries of said estate. The…