Legal Malpractice

Like most professionals, lawyers owe a duty to their clients and are expected to perform their given tasks with a certain level of competence. When a lawyer fails to do this, it can be considered legal malpractice, which is seen as a breach of duty and an intentional civil wrong. Whether or not a lawyer is held liable will be determined based on his or her level of professionalism as compared to how other reasonable lawyers would have acted in the same situation. It is a plaintiff's responsibility, or burden, to prove that malpractice has occurred and to prove that he or she actually suffered some type of compensable damage as a result. To learn more about the elements of a legal malpractice claim, refer to the information contained in this section.