Legal malpractice help in all 50 states and D.C.
Your lawyer let you down. Find out if you can sue.
Missed deadlines, settlements you never approved, money that went missing, a case left to die. Learn what counts as malpractice in your state, how long you have, and get a free case review from attorneys who sue lawyers.
- Free and confidential
- No obligation to hire
- Contingency is common
- Your state's deadline, instantly
See if you have a case.
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Six quick questions. Free, private, no obligation.
Decatur County Courthouse, Greensburg, Indiana. Photo: Warren LeMay, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
What did your lawyer do?
Pick what happened. Each page explains when it is malpractice, what it is worth, and what to do now.
Missed deadline
A blown statute of limitations or court deadline that cost you a case you could have won.
Settled without your consent
Your lawyer accepted, rejected, or hid a settlement offer without your authority.
Stolen client funds
Your lawyer took, kept, or 'borrowed' settlement money, a retainer, or other funds held for you.
Abandonment and no communication
Your lawyer disappeared, stopped returning calls, or walked away without protecting your case.
Breach of fiduciary duty
Your lawyer put their own interests ahead of yours, lied to you, or misused your trust.
Conflict of interest
Your lawyer served someone else's interests, or their own, instead of yours.
Drafting errors
Contracts, wills, and deeds that did not say what they were supposed to say.
Failure to investigate
Your lawyer never dug into the facts, witnesses, records, or assets that would have changed your case.
Bad legal advice
Your lawyer told you something about the law or your options that a careful lawyer would not have.
Overbilling and fee disputes
Padded hours, surprise charges, or a fee far out of line with the work.
How long do you have?
Every state sets its own deadline to sue a lawyer, from about one year to six. Missing it is the single most common way a good malpractice claim dies. Check yours.
See the 50-state deadline table
Courtroom, Boone County Courthouse, Harrison, Arkansas. Photo: Brandonrush, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Is it malpractice, or just a bad result?
Losing is not malpractice. A claim usually needs all four of these. If one is missing, there are often better options, and we will tell you what they are.
- 1A lawyer took your caseThere was an attorney-client relationship: a signed engagement, a paid retainer, or a lawyer who acted as yours.
- 2They fell below the standardThey did something a reasonably careful lawyer would not, like missing a deadline or settling without your OK.
- 3It changed the outcomeYou would have won, or done better, if they had done their job. This is the case within a case.
- 4It cost you real moneyA lost claim, a worse settlement, fees for a botched job, or money taken outright.
By the kind of case.
Divorce, injury, criminal, estate, immigration: each practice area has its own traps and its own rules.
Bankruptcy lawyer
Unlisted debts, dismissed cases, and fees the bankruptcy court can review.
Criminal defense lawyer
Most states make you clear the conviction first, and many make you prove innocence.
Divorce lawyer
Missed assets, bad valuations, and settlements you were talked into.
Wills and estate planning
Who can sue depends on privity: beneficiaries in most states, only the estate in a few.
Immigration lawyer
Reopen the immigration case first under Lozada, then look at money damages.
Personal injury lawyer
Missed filing deadlines and cheap settlements are the classic injury-case claims.
Real estate lawyer
Title problems, bad contracts, and closings that went wrong.
Start with the guides.
All 28 guidesThe basics
How to Sue Your Lawyer: The Complete 2026 Guide
11 min read
The basics
12 Signs Your Lawyer Is Committing Malpractice
7 min read
The basics
The Case Within a Case: Why You Have to Prove You Would Have Won
7 min read
Money and damages
How Much Is a Legal Malpractice Case Worth?
10 min read
The basics
What Is Not Legal Malpractice (and What to Do Instead)
7 min read
The process
How to Find a Lawyer Who Sues Lawyers
9 min read
Research and data
Legal Malpractice Statistics: What the Claims Data Shows
9 min read
The basics
My Lawyer Missed a Deadline. What Now?
9 min read
Not malpractice? You still have options.
Overcharged, ignored, or stolen from: some problems are solved faster outside a courtroom.
The rules in your state.
Deadlines, expert rules, fee arbitration, and where to file a grievance, for every state.
- Alabama2 yr
- Alaska3 yr
- Arizona2 yr
- Arkansas3 yr
- California1 yr
- Colorado2 yr
- Connecticut3 yr
- Delaware3 yr
- District of Columbia3 yr
- Florida2 yr
- Georgia4 yr
- Hawaii6 yr
- Idaho2 yr
- Illinois2 yr
- Indiana2 yr
- Iowa5 yr
- Kansas2 yr
- Kentucky1 yr
- Louisiana1 yr
- Maine6 yr
- Maryland3 yr
- Massachusetts3 yr
- Michigan2 yr
- Minnesota6 yr
- Mississippi3 yr
- Missouri5 yr
- Montana3 yr
- Nebraska2 yr
- Nevada2 yr
- New Hampshire3 yr
- New Jersey6 yr
- New Mexico4 yr
- New York3 yr
- North Carolina3 yr
- North Dakota2 yr
- Ohio1 yr
- Oklahoma2 yr
- Oregon2 yr
- Pennsylvania2 yr
- Rhode Island3 yr
- South Carolina3 yr
- South Dakota3 yr
- Tennessee1 yr
- Texas2 yr
- Utah4 yr
- Vermont6 yr
- Virginia3 yr
- Washington3 yr
- West Virginia2 yr
- Wisconsin3 yr
- Wyoming2 yr
How the free case review works.
- 1Tell us what happenedSix quick questions about your case, your lawyer, and what it cost you. About two minutes.
- 2See your deadlineWe show your state's general malpractice deadline right away, so you know how much time may be left.
- 3Hear from a lawyer who sues lawyersIf your situation fits, an independent attorney who handles legal malpractice claims in your state contacts you.
We are an attorney advertising and case connection service, not a law firm. We do not evaluate claims or recommend lawyers. More on how it works.
Indiana Supreme Court Law Library. Photo: Dominic, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Questions people ask first.
Can I sue my lawyer?
Yes. If your lawyer's negligence or breach of duty caused you a real financial loss, you can bring a legal malpractice claim. You generally have to show the lawyer owed you a duty, fell below the standard a reasonably careful lawyer would meet, and that the mistake changed the outcome or cost you money.
What counts as legal malpractice?
Common examples are missing a filing deadline or statute of limitations, settling a case without the client's permission, a serious conflict of interest, mishandling or taking client money, and costly drafting or advice errors. Losing a case, or a reasonable strategy that did not work out, is not malpractice by itself.
How long do I have to sue my lawyer?
It depends on the state. Legal malpractice deadlines run from about one year to six years, and many states start the clock when you discovered, or should have discovered, the mistake. Some states also have an outer limit that runs from the date of the error no matter when you found out.
Do I need a lawyer to sue my lawyer?
In practice, yes. Most legal malpractice cases require expert testimony about what a careful lawyer would have done, and you usually have to prove you would have won the original case. Many attorneys who handle these claims for clients work on contingency, so there is no upfront fee.
What if my lawyer only overcharged me?
A pure fee dispute usually belongs in the state or local bar's fee arbitration program, which is low cost and faster than a lawsuit. If a lawyer took money that belonged to you, the state's client protection fund may reimburse you, and a bar grievance can lead to discipline.
Is the case review really free?
Yes. Telling us what happened costs nothing and does not obligate you to hire anyone. SueMyLawyer.org is an attorney advertising and case connection service, not a law firm, and participating attorneys decide for themselves whether to take a case.
Still waiting on a call back that never comes?
The clock on a malpractice claim may already be running. Two minutes tells you where you stand.
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