What did your lawyer do wrong?
Every way a lawyer can fail a client, what the law requires you to prove, what a claim can be worth, and what to do next.
Courtroom, Boone County Courthouse, Harrison, Arkansas. Photo: Brandonrush, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
By what went wrong.
Abandonment and no communication
Your lawyer disappeared, stopped returning calls, or walked away without protecting your case.
6 min read
Breach of fiduciary duty
Your lawyer put their own interests ahead of yours, lied to you, or misused your trust.
6 min read
Conflict of interest
Your lawyer served someone else's interests, or their own, instead of yours.
6 min read
Drafting errors
Contracts, wills, and deeds that did not say what they were supposed to say.
7 min read
Failure to investigate
Your lawyer never dug into the facts, witnesses, records, or assets that would have changed your case.
6 min read
Missed deadline
A blown statute of limitations or court deadline that cost you a case you could have won.
6 min read
Bad legal advice
Your lawyer told you something about the law or your options that a careful lawyer would not have.
6 min read
Overbilling and fee disputes
Padded hours, surprise charges, or a fee far out of line with the work.
6 min read
Settled without your consent
Your lawyer accepted, rejected, or hid a settlement offer without your authority.
6 min read
Stolen client funds
Your lawyer took, kept, or 'borrowed' settlement money, a retainer, or other funds held for you.
6 min read
By the kind of case.
Bankruptcy lawyer
Unlisted debts, dismissed cases, and fees the bankruptcy court can review.
7 min read
Criminal defense lawyer
Most states make you clear the conviction first, and many make you prove innocence.
8 min read
Divorce lawyer
Missed assets, bad valuations, and settlements you were talked into.
7 min read
Wills and estate planning
Who can sue depends on privity: beneficiaries in most states, only the estate in a few.
7 min read
Immigration lawyer
Reopen the immigration case first under Lozada, then look at money damages.
7 min read
Personal injury lawyer
Missed filing deadlines and cheap settlements are the classic injury-case claims.
7 min read
Real estate lawyer
Title problems, bad contracts, and closings that went wrong.
7 min read
Not sure which one fits?
Describe what happened. An attorney who handles malpractice claims can sort out the rest.