If you hire legal services, you do so with the belief that the lawyer you hire will be loyal toward your interests and act competently at all times. You’ll put all of your trust in them to help you get the outcome that you want.
Unfortunately, however, your legal representation may not have acted rigorously enough to secure you a favorable outcome. Alternatively, they may have been intentionally not acting in your best interests. If you believe that the legal firm you hired did not fulfill their duty in representing you, they may have committed legal malpractice, and you may be able to successfully take legal action against them, gaining damages as a result. The following is an overview of the main types of legal malpractice by which you may have been victimized.
Conflict of interest
When you hire legal services, you enter a contract on the premise that they will act in your best interests at all times. This means that they should not be representing anyone else in the case. A conflict of interest can occur when a firm represents more than one party in a car accident lawsuit, or when a large firm prosecutes when they have a connection with a defendant.
Failure to communicate
The job of a lawyer is to maintain great communication with the party that they are representing. Therefore, decisions should never be made about a case when you have not been consulted or informed. If a lawyer settles without your explicit consent, it is likely that they have committed medical malpractice.
Incompetency
Lawyers have the duty to be honest about their qualifications, experience and specialism. If you believe that someone you hired was not adequately qualified to represent you or was incompetent, you may be able to take legal action against them.
If you are disappointed by the outcome of a recent legal case, you may be able to show that your lawyer engaged in legal malpractice, and gain back damages as a result.