Representing Victims of Legal Malpractice in Florida
Legal malpractice is one of the most difficult areas of law for clients to find representation. There are many reasons for this unfortunate reality, the most obvious of which is the lack of lawyers who are willing to pursue meritorious legal malpractice claims.
Dismuke Law has considerable experience with legal malpractice claims involving unethical and negligent personal injury and wrongful death attorneys. We believe in your right to competent legal counsel, and we will fight to expose instances of malpractice.
What Is Legal Malpractice?
Most people relate the term “malpractice” to medical malpractice. However, malpractice isn’t limited to physicians. If you’ve had a personal injury attorney who provided you with inadequate representation or acted against your interests and those actions prejudiced your rights or caused you financial harm, you may be entitled to compensation.
Legal malpractice is a breach by an attorney in the standard of care or conduct applicable to all attorneys and can occur in any area of law. Malpractice claims are highly specialized, requiring an attorney who understands the original underlying case as well as the laws of legal malpractice. These cases can be extremely complicated and are often, as you may expect, aggressively litigated.
How Does Legal Malpractice Occur?
While an attorney’s poor legal strategy may not be a cause of action, there are numerous ways in which legal malpractice can occur.
Some examples include:
- Missing filing deadlines
- Breaching the attorney-client relationship
- Committing fraud
- Failing to bring a case within the statute of limitations
- Mishandling funds, overbilling, improper interest charges or theft
- Disclosing your confidential information to outside sources
- Accepting a settlement offer without your authority
These represent just a few of the many ways that a personal injury lawyer can commit malpractice. As with all cases, there are time limitations on when you must file a legal malpractice lawsuit. Since important information can disappear and memories fade, anyone who suspects that they have been the victim of legal malpractice should take immediate action.
Our Legal Malpractice Attorney in Lakeland, FL, Can Lead Your Case
The attorneys at Dismuke Law can shoulder every burden related to your legal malpractice case. You can rely on us to:
- Gather evidence of your original case, showing the attorney-client relationship
- Document all your attempts to communicate and work things out with your lawyer and their failure to reciprocate
- File all paperwork by the applicable deadline
- Speak to all involved parties
- Calculate the value of your damages
We will be here for you from start to finish, so let us know if you ever have any questions about the legal process.
Types of Recoverable Damages in a Legal Malpractice Case in Florida
When you sign on to work with our legal malpractice lawyer in Lakeland, FL, they will determine which damages you may pursue from the negligent lawyer. Every case differs, but common losses victims incur include:
- Lost income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Emotional distress
- Medical expenses
You don’t have forever to seek compensation. According to Florida Statutes § 95.11(4)(a), you generally have two years from the original judgment to bring a legal malpractice lawsuit against the negligent attorney. Certain factors could alter the deadline, but you should start building your case right away. Waiting too long might jeopardize your right to take legal action.
Call Dismuke Law Today to Begin Your Lakeland Legal Malpractice Case
Dismuke Law proudly handles legal malpractice claims involving personal injury representation, particularly in the areas of trucking accident litigation, car accident litigation, premises liability litigation, and wrongful death litigation. We have offices in Lakeland, Sebring, and Tampa and serve clients across Central Florida. Call our law firm today to begin your free consultation.
