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Full-Text Articles in Law

Statute Of Limitations: Discovery Rule For Malpractice, Linda C. Ashar Jul 2015

Statute Of Limitations: Discovery Rule For Malpractice, Linda C. Ashar

Akron Law Review

IN OLIVER V. KAISER COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION the Ohio Supreme Court adopted the discovery standard for medical malpractice actions, which are subject to Ohio's one-year statute of limitations. In Oliver the court held that a medical malpractice cause of action "accrues and the statute of limitations commences to run when the patient discovers, or in the exercise of reasonable care and diligence should have discovered, the resulting injury." Shortly after Oliver, the court applied the discovery rule to legal malpractice cases in Skidmore & Hall v. Rottman. The discovery standard replaces Ohio's previously judicially adopted rule of termination of …


Legal Malpractice Statutes Of Limitations: A Critical Analysis Of A Burgeoning Crisis, Joseph H. Koffler Jul 2015

Legal Malpractice Statutes Of Limitations: A Critical Analysis Of A Burgeoning Crisis, Joseph H. Koffler

Akron Law Review

Surprisingly little has been written on the law of legal malpractice. Even more disturbing is the fact that there is little analytical writing to help guide the courts and bar in this area. The analysis and recommendations contained in this article are intended as a basis in developing rules for statutes of limitations in legal malpractice actions that meet the needs of the parties, the test of fundamental fairness, and evoke a genuine sense of confidence in society.


Fortifying A Law Firm's Ethical Infrastructure: Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims Based On Conflicts Of Interest, Susan Saab Fortney, Jett Hanna Jul 2015

Fortifying A Law Firm's Ethical Infrastructure: Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims Based On Conflicts Of Interest, Susan Saab Fortney, Jett Hanna

Susan S. Fortney

This article addresses the prevailing problem of malpractice claims based on conflicts of interest. Part I of this article introduces the topic by underscoring the seriousness of all conflicts of interest and recommending preventative action. Part II describes measures that law firms can take to detect and manage conflicts and analyzes the effect of the firm’s ability to avoid conflicts claims on a firm’s ethical infrastructure. Part III focuses on some of the most common conflicts situations that result in malpractice claims and sanctions. The discussion includes selected conflicts cases that illustrate problems and patterns. Part IV concludes by urging …


Liability Insurer Data As A Window On Lawyers’ Professional Liability, Tom Baker, Rick Swedloff Jan 2015

Liability Insurer Data As A Window On Lawyers’ Professional Liability, Tom Baker, Rick Swedloff

All Faculty Scholarship

Using the best publicly available data on lawyers’ liability claims and insurance – from the largest insurer of large law firms in the U.S., the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Professional Liability, and a summary of large claims from a leading insurance broker–this article reports the frequency of lawyers’ liability claims, the distribution and cost of claims by type of practice, the disposition of claims, and lawyers liability insurance premiums from the early 1980s to 2013. Notable findings include remarkable stability over thirty years in the distribution of claims by area of practice among both small and large firms, …


Controversial Defenses To Legal Malpractice Claims: Are Attorney-Experts Being Asked To Be Advocates?, David Caudill Dec 2014

Controversial Defenses To Legal Malpractice Claims: Are Attorney-Experts Being Asked To Be Advocates?, David Caudill

David S Caudill

Attorney-experts in legal malpractice litigation are like many other experts. Although easily distinguishable from experts offering science-based testimony, attorney expertise is similar to that of witnesses offering experience-based testimony, and very much like the expertise of a physician in a medical malpractice case. An attorney-expert is, however, somewhat unique among experts in terms of the type of expertise offered, the inherent risk that the expert’s testimony will invade the province of the judge or jury, and, I believe, the risk of over-testifying. First, there is a problem of defining the attorney-expert’s “expertise” to ensure that the expert is not testifying …


A No-Fault Remedy For Legal Malpractice?, Melissa D. Mortazavi Dec 2014

A No-Fault Remedy For Legal Malpractice?, Melissa D. Mortazavi

Melissa Mortazavi

No abstract provided.