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Full-Text Articles in Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Legal Malpractice Statutes Of Limitations: A Critical Analysis Of A Burgeoning Crisis, Joseph H. Koffler
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.
Professional Malpractice In A World Of Amateurs., Thomas D. Morgan
Professional Malpractice In A World Of Amateurs., Thomas D. Morgan
St. Mary's Law Journal
Clients experience the speed at which the world changes, both technologically and socially. They expect lawyers to keep pace. The technology which permits lawyers to deliver legal services faster also chains lawyers to their electronic devices. This technology has also led to a growing market of those who promise to do the same work faster, better, and cheaper. Such developments will ultimately affect how lawyers view professional malpractice or the way the industry understands “competence and diligence normally exercised by lawyers.” The malpractice question becomes: to what standard of care and competence should such “amateur” lawyers be held? The legal …
Patent-Holding Patent Attorneys: Conflicts Of Interests, Confidentiality, And Employment Issues Comment., Ashley R. Presson
Patent-Holding Patent Attorneys: Conflicts Of Interests, Confidentiality, And Employment Issues Comment., Ashley R. Presson
St. Mary's Law Journal
Patents are grants issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) which confer upon the holder, the patentee, patent rights to such intellectual property as inventions, technologies, and processes. Patent rights include the right to exclude others from “making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States.” Once the USTPO has granted a patent, the inventor may market the product. Patentees who do not have the funds or time to market the product may profit by conveying the legal rights conferred by the patent to other …
Assault Upon The Citadel Of Privity: The Coexistence Of Strict, Privity And Belt V. Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison & (And) Tate, Inc. Comment., C. John Muller Iv
Assault Upon The Citadel Of Privity: The Coexistence Of Strict, Privity And Belt V. Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison & (And) Tate, Inc. Comment., C. John Muller Iv
St. Mary's Law Journal
The practicing attorney must have a complete understanding of legal malpractice liability. Managing this risk can be a precarious responsibility when the law is not clearly defined. This is compounded by the steady erosion of attorney-client privity barriers making it easier for third party non-clients to sue lawyers for legal malpractice. This is the current state of matters in Texas since the Texas Supreme Court decided Belt v. Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison & Tate, Inc. on May 5, 2006. The Belt court determined personal representatives of an estate may bring a malpractice claim against the decedent’s attorneys. The Belt court was …
Why Legal Ethics Rules Are Relevant To Lawyer Liability The Sixth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Douglas R. Richmond
Why Legal Ethics Rules Are Relevant To Lawyer Liability The Sixth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Douglas R. Richmond
St. Mary's Law Journal
The last two decades have witnessed the creation of a perilous liability environment for lawyers and law firms. Most discussions of lawyer liability begin with “legal malpractice,” a term which typically describes professional negligence. In a malpractice case, the plaintiff must prove the lawyer owed them a duty, the duty was breached, and the breach was the proximate cause of actual damages. The lawyer’s duty flows from the attorney-client relationship. But, the attorney-client relationship is also a fiduciary one, and lawyers may be sued for breach of the fiduciary duty. While these two causes of action are usually alleged simultaneously, …
International Legal Malpractice: Not Only Will The Dog Eventually Bark, It Will Also Bite The Sixth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility: Essay., Ethan S. Burger
St. Mary's Law Journal
The internationalization of legal practice presents numerous issues for lawyers, such as obtaining qualifications to practice law in foreign jurisdictions and developing the necessary knowledge. Different and possibly conflicting notions of standards of care and professional responsibility will arise. Globalization is widely regarded as the principal driving force in international economic and political relations. From the standpoint of business activity there are myriad ways to assess the impact of globalization. These include tracking rates of exchange, observing altered methods, or examining how attitudes and information has changed. Globalization has increased the demand for specialized accounting and legal services connected with …
Leveling The Legal Malpractice Playing Field: Reverse Bifurcation Of Trials The Fourth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Dwayne J. Hermes, Jeffrey W. Kemp, Paul B. Moore
Leveling The Legal Malpractice Playing Field: Reverse Bifurcation Of Trials The Fourth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Dwayne J. Hermes, Jeffrey W. Kemp, Paul B. Moore
St. Mary's Law Journal
The growing public demand for perfect results is shifting the time-tested obligation of lawyers to meet the standard of care. The general public no longer deems the advice and performance of professionals as beyond reproach. While this is probably a positive development, it appears that a number of clients (and patients) are raising the bar too high by expecting and demanding a perfect result. The legal malpractice suit is in vogue, and juries are increasingly holding attorneys to be guarantors of a favorable outcome for their clients. A significant portion of legal malpractice suits are merely thinly veiled claims for …
Unresolved Problems In Texas Legal Malpractice Law The Fourth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Stephen E. Mcconnico, Jennifer Knauth, Robyn Bigelow
Unresolved Problems In Texas Legal Malpractice Law The Fourth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Stephen E. Mcconnico, Jennifer Knauth, Robyn Bigelow
St. Mary's Law Journal
Legal malpractice jurisprudence is a dynamic and evolving area of Texas law. In its evolution, many issues have arisen regarding potential areas for attorney liability and discipline. The Texas Supreme Court opinion in Alexander v. Turtur & Associates, Inc. discusses the “suit within the suit” requirement for causation in litigation malpractice cases. The case also raised an important question—whether and in what circumstances causation should be treated as a question of law for the trial judge in the malpractice case, rather than as a question of fact for the jury. The Alexander opinion suggests that both the jury submission issues …
Legal Malpractice: When The Legal System Turns On The Lawyer Third Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice & Professional Responsibility: Essay., Jennifer Knauth
Legal Malpractice: When The Legal System Turns On The Lawyer Third Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice & Professional Responsibility: Essay., Jennifer Knauth
St. Mary's Law Journal
What happens when a lawyer becomes a defendant in a legal malpractice case? Much has been written about the shortcomings of the adversary system as measured against its theoretical goals and assumptions. One significant assumption underlying the adversary system is that there is an equal playing field among litigants. The reality of a legal malpractice case is at odds with this ideal. The prevailing cultural bias against lawyers as gatekeepers and beneficiaries of the legal system permeates every aspect of a legal malpractice case. One effect of this cultural bias is the lawyer-defendant's very personal and disproportionate experience with the …
Legal Malpractice In Texas: Examining Selected Cases And Forecasting Future Trrends Third Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice & Professional Responsibility: Symposium Presentations., Wallace B. Jefferson
Legal Malpractice In Texas: Examining Selected Cases And Forecasting Future Trrends Third Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice & Professional Responsibility: Symposium Presentations., Wallace B. Jefferson
St. Mary's Law Journal
Little hard data exists concerning legal malpractice in Texas. What’s more, few legal law malpractice rulings are published. To date, there are only fifty written opinions on legal malpractice from Texas intermediate appellate courts. The activity that most often gave rise to a claim of legal malpractice involved the preparation, filing, and transmittal of documents, accounting for about a quarter of all claims. In San Antonio, Chief Justice Alma Lopez of the Fourth District Court of Appeals discussed common issues she sees in her courtroom. The issues ranged from failures to follow simple court rules to more substantial failures of …
Tactical Considerations In Defending Assigned Legal Malpractice Claims Essay., William D. Cobb Jr.
Tactical Considerations In Defending Assigned Legal Malpractice Claims Essay., William D. Cobb Jr.
St. Mary's Law Journal
Every Texas lawyer with a legal malpractice defense docket should be aware of the Zuniga rule and its possible exceptions. Although the general rule in Texas is that causes of action are freely assignable, because of the ruling in Zuniga v. Groce, Locke & Hebdon, legal malpractice causes of action are unassignable. The Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the case with the notation “writ refused” essentially adopting the lower court’s opinion as its own. Nonetheless, the decision in Zuniga did not resolve the problem of the insolvent judgment debtor, nor did Zuniga purport to invalidate all agreements that dispose …
Summary Of Recent Developments In Texas Legal Malpractice Law Symposium: Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Steve Mcconnico, Robyn Bigelow
Summary Of Recent Developments In Texas Legal Malpractice Law Symposium: Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Steve Mcconnico, Robyn Bigelow
St. Mary's Law Journal
Although the number of malpractice suits may not be increasing, the way plaintiffs are pleading these suits is changing dramatically and resulting in increased potential for attorney liability. Recent changes in the nature of liability led to increased potential for damages and a trend of high dollar settlements in malpractice cases. These changes may significantly impact the ability of lawyers in Texas to avoid liability while representing clients and preserving client confidences. Texas law generally limits malpractice claims to clients against their attorneys; but non-clients are increasingly succeeding in creatively pleading causes of action by alleging fraud, conspiracy, and negligent …
Ethics: Lawyering And Professionalism., Broadus A. Spivey
Ethics: Lawyering And Professionalism., Broadus A. Spivey
St. Mary's Law Journal
Because public perception is a major issue that confronts the legal community, Texas encourages lawyers to maintain a civil, professional, and courteous environment. The work of lawyers may be divided into three parts: first, a lawyer must consider several factors when communicating with a potential client; second, a lawyer must attend to the creation of the lawyer-client relationship; and third, a lawyer must effectively manage the lawyer-client relationship. The rules of ethical deportment for attorneys are contained in the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, which specifically address barratry and similar offenses related to the improper solicitation of potential clients. …
Fortifying A Law Firm's Ethical Infrastructure: Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims Based On Conflicts Of Interest Symposium: Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Susan Saab Fortney, Jett Hanna
Fortifying A Law Firm's Ethical Infrastructure: Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims Based On Conflicts Of Interest Symposium: Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Susan Saab Fortney, Jett Hanna
St. Mary's Law Journal
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 …
Toward A More Effective Standard Of Review: The Potential Effect Of Burdine V. Johnson On Legal Malpractice In Texas., Rebecca A. Copeland
Toward A More Effective Standard Of Review: The Potential Effect Of Burdine V. Johnson On Legal Malpractice In Texas., Rebecca A. Copeland
St. Mary's Law Journal
If the presence of a sleeping attorney is so egregious as to result in a reversal of a criminal conviction, it is surely enough to warrant the imposition of civil damages upon the same attorney. A recent trend of cases in which criminal defendants alleged ineffective assistance of counsel—due to sleeping attorneys—resulted in courts being unable to create a uniform analysis for ineffective assistance of counsel. The Sixth Amendment protects a criminal defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel, and the Supreme Court has devised a two-prong analysis by which claims of ineffective assistance must be reviewed. Burdine v. Johnson …
Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct: Additional Liability For Texas Lawyers., Xavier G. Medina, Virginia Coyle
Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct: Additional Liability For Texas Lawyers., Xavier G. Medina, Virginia Coyle
St. Mary's Law Journal
As a result of the enactment of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (“Rules”), Texas lawyer no longer practice under guidelines which include aspirational goals and discretionary moral choices. The Rules are mandatory in nature and depict a minimum standard of professional conduct which, if violated, could subject the offending lawyer to disciplinary action. Although the Rules provide a disclaimer stating that they “do not undertake to define standards of civil liability of lawyers for professional conduct,” Texas lawyers fear the Rules will be utilized as an independent basis for liability, or a standard of care for malpractice. The …