# SueMyLawyer.org

> SueMyLawyer.org explains, state by state, when a lawyer's mistake is legal malpractice and how to hold them accountable, and connects people with independent attorneys who handle legal malpractice claims. Free case review, no obligation. SueMyLawyer.org is an attorney advertising and case connection service. It is not a law firm; its content is general legal information, not legal advice.

Coverage: legal malpractice law for all 51 U.S. jurisdictions (50 states and D.C.), 17 claim types, and 28 guides. State rules are verified against statutes, court rules, appellate opinions, and state bar publications, with sources listed on each page. Cite the specific state page or guide.

## Start here
- [How to Sue Your Lawyer](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-to-sue-your-lawyer): the complete guide.
- [Legal Malpractice Statute of Limitations by State](https://suemylawyer.org/statute-of-limitations): deadlines, triggers, discovery and repose rules for every state, with citations.
- [Full reference (llms-full.txt)](https://suemylawyer.org/llms-full.txt): every state rule, claim type and guide with takeaways and FAQs in one file.
- [Free Case Review](https://suemylawyer.org/case-review): how a person is connected with an independent attorney who handles legal malpractice claims.

## Deadlines and rules by state
- [Alabama](https://suemylawyer.org/states/alabama): 2 years (Ala. Code § 6-5-574(a)). The two years run from the act, omission, or failure that gives rise to the claim. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: 4 years from the act, omission, or failure (Ala. Code § 6-5-574).
- [Alaska](https://suemylawyer.org/states/alaska): 3 years (Alaska Stat. § 09.10.053). The three years run from when you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the elements of your claim, and not while the lawyer still represents you in the same matter. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None specific to legal malpractice verified.
- [Arizona](https://suemylawyer.org/states/arizona): 2 years (Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542). The two years start when all elements of the claim exist and you knew or should have known of them; for mistakes made in a lawsuit, not until the underlying case, including appeals, is over. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Arkansas](https://suemylawyer.org/states/arkansas): 3 years (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105(3)). Absent concealment, the three years start when the negligent act or omission occurs, not when you discover it. Discovery rule: No. Repose: None (the occurrence rule already runs from the act).
- [California](https://suemylawyer.org/states/california): 1 year from discovery (4 years max) (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 340.6). One year from when you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the facts of the wrongful act or omission, or four years from the act, whichever comes first. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: 4 years from the wrongful act, subject to statutory tolling (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 340.6).
- [Colorado](https://suemylawyer.org/states/colorado): 2 years (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)(a); accrual under § 13-80-108(1)). The two years start when both the injury and its cause are known or should have been known through reasonable diligence. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None specific to legal malpractice verified.
- [Connecticut](https://suemylawyer.org/states/connecticut): 3 years (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577). The three years run from the date of the act or omission complained of, not from when you discover it. Discovery rule: No. Repose: None separate (the statute already runs from the act).
- [Delaware](https://suemylawyer.org/states/delaware): 3 years (10 Del. C. § 8106(a)). The three years start at the time of injury, however slight, caused by the lawyer's wrongful act, even if you do not know about it yet. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None specific to legal malpractice verified.
- [District of Columbia](https://suemylawyer.org/states/district-of-columbia): 3 years (D.C. Code § 12-301(8)). The three years start when you knew or reasonably should have known of the injury, its cause in fact, and some evidence of wrongdoing. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Florida](https://suemylawyer.org/states/florida): 2 years from discovery (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(b)). The 2 years run from when the claim is discovered or should have been discovered with due diligence; for mistakes made in a lawsuit, not before the underlying case ends in a final judgment. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None for legal malpractice.
- [Georgia](https://suemylawyer.org/states/georgia): 4 years from the breach (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-25). The 4 years run from the date of the lawyer's breach of duty, not from when you discover the error or learn how much it cost you. Discovery rule: No. Repose: None; the 4-year period already runs from the act.
- [Hawaii](https://suemylawyer.org/states/hawaii): 6 years from discovery (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-1(1)). The 6 years run from when you knew or should have known of the legal malpractice claim (the discovery rule adopted in Blair v. Ing). Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Idaho](https://suemylawyer.org/states/idaho): 2 years from the act (once some damage occurs) (Idaho Code § 5-219(4)). The 2 years run from the act or omission complained of, but the claim does not accrue until there is objective proof of some actual damage. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None separate; the period runs from the act, with limited fraud-concealment extension.
- [Illinois](https://suemylawyer.org/states/illinois): 2 years from discovery, 6-year repose (735 ILCS 5/13-214.3). The 2 years run from when you knew or reasonably should have known of the injury for which you seek damages. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: 6 years from the act or omission (735 ILCS 5/13-214.3(c)).
- [Indiana](https://suemylawyer.org/states/indiana): 2 years from discovery (Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4). The 2 years run from when you knew, or with ordinary diligence could have discovered, that you were injured by the lawyer's conduct; not before the representation in that matter ends. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Iowa](https://suemylawyer.org/states/iowa): 5 years from injury and discovery (Iowa Code § 614.1(4)). The 5 years start once you suffer an actual injury and have actual or imputed knowledge of the elements of the claim. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Kansas](https://suemylawyer.org/states/kansas): 2 years from injury, 10-year repose (K.S.A. 60-513(a)(4), (b)). The 2 years start when the lawyer's act first causes substantial injury or, if the injury is not reasonably ascertainable at first, when it becomes reasonably ascertainable. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: 10 years from the act (K.S.A. 60-513(b)).
- [Kentucky](https://suemylawyer.org/states/kentucky): 1 year from occurrence or discovery (Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.245). The 1 year runs from the occurrence (when negligence and non-speculative damage have both happened) or from when you discovered or should have discovered the claim, whichever is later; for litigation mistakes, not before the underlying case is final. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Louisiana](https://suemylawyer.org/states/louisiana): 1 year from the act or discovery, 3 years max (La. R.S. 9:5605). One year from the lawyer's act, omission, or neglect, or one year from when you discovered or should have discovered it, but never later than three years from the act. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: 3 years from the act (peremptive; fraud exception in 9:5605(E)).
- [Maine](https://suemylawyer.org/states/maine): 6 years from the act or omission (14 M.R.S. §§ 752, 753-B). The six years start on the date of the lawyer's act or omission, not the date you discover it, except for title opinions and wills. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None in general; 20 years from the act for title opinion claims.
- [Maryland](https://suemylawyer.org/states/maryland): 3 years from discovery (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101). Three years from when you knew or reasonably should have known of the injury and its probable cause (the discovery rule). Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Massachusetts](https://suemylawyer.org/states/massachusetts): 3 years from discovery of appreciable harm (M.G.L. c. 260, § 4). Three years from when you knew or reasonably should have known you suffered appreciable harm from the lawyer's conduct. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Michigan](https://suemylawyer.org/states/michigan): 2 years from last day of service, or 6 months from discovery (MCL 600.5805(8), 600.5838, 600.5838b). Two years from the day the lawyer stopped serving you on the matter, or six months after you discovered or should have discovered the claim, whichever is later. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: 6 years from the act or omission (MCL 600.5838b).
- [Minnesota](https://suemylawyer.org/states/minnesota): 6 years from when some damage occurs (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1). Six years from when some compensable damage first results from the lawyer's mistake, whether or not you know about it. Discovery rule: No. Repose: None.
- [Mississippi](https://suemylawyer.org/states/mississippi): 3 years from discovery (Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49). Three years from when you learned, or with reasonable diligence should have learned, of your lawyer's negligence. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Missouri](https://suemylawyer.org/states/missouri): 5 years from ascertainable damage (RSMo § 516.120(4)). Five years from when damage is sustained and objectively capable of ascertainment, not when you actually discover it. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None.
- [Montana](https://suemylawyer.org/states/montana): 3 years from discovery, 10 years max (Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-206). Three years after you discover, or with reasonable diligence should have discovered, the lawyer's act, error, or omission, but the claim must also have accrued. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: 10 years from the act, error, or omission.
- [Nebraska](https://suemylawyer.org/states/nebraska): 2 years (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-222). The clock starts on the date of the lawyer's negligent act or omission, not the date you learn about it or lose money. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: 10 years from the professional service that caused the harm.
- [Nevada](https://suemylawyer.org/states/nevada): 2 years from discovery or 4 years from damage, whichever is earlier (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.207). The 2-year period starts when you discover, or with reasonable diligence should have discovered, the material facts of the claim; the 4-year period starts when you sustain damage. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None beyond the 4-years-from-damage limit in § 11.207.
- [New Hampshire](https://suemylawyer.org/states/new-hampshire): 3 years (N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 508:4, I). The clock starts at the act or omission, or, if the injury and its cause could not reasonably have been discovered then, when you discovered or reasonably should have discovered them. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [New Jersey](https://suemylawyer.org/states/new-jersey): 6 years (N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:14-1). The clock starts when you suffer actual damage and know, or with reasonable diligence should know, that the damage is attributable to the lawyer's negligence (Grunwald v. Bronkesh). Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [New Mexico](https://suemylawyer.org/states/new-mexico): 4 years (N.M. Stat. Ann. § 37-1-4). The clock starts when you sustain actual injury and discover, or with reasonable diligence should discover, the facts essential to the claim (Sharts v. Natelson). Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [New York](https://suemylawyer.org/states/new-york): 3 years (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214(6)). The clock starts when the malpractice is committed and the injury occurs, even if you do not know about it (McCoy v. Feinman). Discovery rule: No. Repose: None.
- [North Carolina](https://suemylawyer.org/states/north-carolina): 3 years from the last act (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-15(c)). The claim accrues at the lawyer's last act giving rise to the claim, whether or not you know about it. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: 4 years from the lawyer's last act.
- [North Dakota](https://suemylawyer.org/states/north-dakota): 2 years (N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-18(3)). The clock starts when you have incurred damage and know, or with reasonable diligence should know, of the injury, its cause, and the lawyer's possible negligence (Larson v. Norkot). Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Ohio](https://suemylawyer.org/states/ohio): 1 year (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.117 (formerly § 2305.11(A))). The later of the cognizable event that should alert you to the lawyer's mistake, or the end of the representation on that matter. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: 4 years from the act or omission, with 1 more year if the injury could not have been discovered within 3 years (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.117(B), (C)).
- [Oklahoma](https://suemylawyer.org/states/oklahoma): 2 years (12 Okla. Stat. § 95(A)(3)). When the client suffers actual, non-speculative damage, and the Oklahoma Supreme Court has also measured it from when the client knew or should have known of the negligent act. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Oregon](https://suemylawyer.org/states/oregon): 2 years from discovery (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.110(1)). When you have suffered damage and know, or reasonably should know, that the lawyer's acts or omissions caused it. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: 10 years from the act or omission (Or. Rev. Stat. § 12.115(1)).
- [Pennsylvania](https://suemylawyer.org/states/pennsylvania): 2 years (4 years for contract claims) (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(7) (negligence); 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a) (contract)). When the lawyer's breach of duty happens (the occurrence rule), not when you suffer the loss, unless the discovery rule applies. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None.
- [Rhode Island](https://suemylawyer.org/states/rhode-island): 3 years (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14.3). The occurrence of the incident that gave rise to the claim, or when the malpractice should reasonably have been discovered if it could not be discovered at the time. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [South Carolina](https://suemylawyer.org/states/south-carolina): 3 years from discovery (S.C. Code Ann. §§ 15-3-530(5), 15-3-535). When you knew or, with reasonable diligence, should have known you had a claim; tolled while you appeal the underlying case (Stokes-Craven Holding Corp. v. Robinson, 2016). Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [South Dakota](https://suemylawyer.org/states/south-dakota): 3 years from the act (S.D. Codified Laws § 15-2-14.2). When the malpractice, error, mistake, or omission occurs (the occurrence rule), not when you discover it or suffer damage. Discovery rule: No. Repose: None beyond the 3-year occurrence rule.
- [Tennessee](https://suemylawyer.org/states/tennessee): 1 year from discovery (Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(c)(1)). When you suffer an actual injury from the lawyer's negligence and know, or reasonably should know, that the lawyer's conduct caused it. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Texas](https://suemylawyer.org/states/texas): 2 years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a)). The claim accrues when you suffer a legal injury or, under the discovery rule, when you knew or should have known the facts of the claim. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Utah](https://suemylawyer.org/states/utah): 4 years (Utah Code § 78B-2-307(3)). The claim accrues when the last event needed to complete it occurs, which means when you suffer actual harm, not merely when the lawyer errs. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None.
- [Vermont](https://suemylawyer.org/states/vermont): 6 years (3 for personal injury harm) (12 V.S.A. § 511; 12 V.S.A. § 512(4)). The clock starts when you knew or should have known enough to put a reasonable person on notice that the lawyer may be liable for your injury. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Virginia](https://suemylawyer.org/states/virginia): 3 years (5 years on a written contract signed by the lawyer) (Va. Code § 8.01-246(2), (4); § 8.01-230). The clock starts when the breach occurs, not when you discover it, but if the lawyer kept working on the same matter it starts when that work ends. Discovery rule: No. Repose: None.
- [Washington](https://suemylawyer.org/states/washington): 3 years from discovery (RCW 4.16.080(3)). The clock starts when you discover, or with reasonable diligence should have discovered, the facts giving rise to the claim. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [West Virginia](https://suemylawyer.org/states/west-virginia): 2 years (tort); contract claims may have longer periods (W. Va. Code § 55-2-12; § 55-2-6 for contract claims). The claim accrues when the malpractice occurs or when the client knows, or by reasonable diligence should know, of it. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Wisconsin](https://suemylawyer.org/states/wisconsin): 3 years from discovery (tort) (Wis. Stat. § 893.53). The claim accrues when you have suffered actual damage and knew, or with reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury, its cause, and who caused it. Discovery rule: Yes. Repose: None.
- [Wyoming](https://suemylawyer.org/states/wyoming): 2 years from the act (discovery exception) (Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-107(a)). The clock starts on the date of the act, error, or omission; if it was not reasonably discoverable in 2 years, you get 2 years from discovery. Discovery rule: Limited. Repose: None.

## Types of legal malpractice
- [Can you sue a lawyer who abandoned your case or stopped communicating?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/abandonment-and-no-communication): Your lawyer disappeared, stopped returning calls, or walked away without protecting your case.
- [Can You Sue Your Bankruptcy Lawyer for Malpractice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/bankruptcy-attorney-malpractice): Unlisted debts, dismissed cases, and fees the bankruptcy court can review.
- [Can you sue your lawyer for breach of fiduciary duty?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/breach-of-fiduciary-duty): Your lawyer put their own interests ahead of yours, lied to you, or misused your trust.
- [Can you sue your lawyer for a conflict of interest?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/conflict-of-interest): Your lawyer served someone else's interests, or their own, instead of yours.
- [Can You Sue Your Criminal Defense Lawyer for Malpractice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/criminal-defense-malpractice): Most states make you clear the conviction first, and many make you prove innocence.
- [Can You Sue Your Divorce Lawyer for Malpractice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/divorce-lawyer-malpractice): Missed assets, bad valuations, and settlements you were talked into.
- [Can You Sue a Lawyer for a Drafting Error?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/drafting-errors): Contracts, wills, and deeds that did not say what they were supposed to say.
- [Can You Sue a Lawyer for a Botched Will or Trust?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/estate-planning-malpractice): Who can sue depends on privity: beneficiaries in most states, only the estate in a few.
- [Can you sue your lawyer for failing to investigate your case?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/failure-to-investigate): Your lawyer never dug into the facts, witnesses, records, or assets that would have changed your case.
- [Can You Sue Your Immigration Lawyer for Malpractice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/immigration-lawyer-malpractice): Reopen the immigration case first under Lozada, then look at money damages.
- [Can you sue your lawyer for missing a deadline?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/missed-deadline): A blown statute of limitations or court deadline that cost you a case you could have won.
- [Can you sue your lawyer for bad legal advice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/negligent-legal-advice): Your lawyer told you something about the law or your options that a careful lawyer would not have.
- [What can you do if your lawyer overbilled you?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/overbilling-and-fee-disputes): Padded hours, surprise charges, or a fee far out of line with the work.
- [Can You Sue Your Personal Injury Lawyer for Malpractice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/personal-injury-lawyer-malpractice): Missed filing deadlines and cheap settlements are the classic injury-case claims.
- [Can You Sue a Real Estate Lawyer for Malpractice?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/real-estate-attorney-malpractice): Title problems, bad contracts, and closings that went wrong.
- [Can you sue your lawyer for settling without your consent?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/settled-without-consent): Your lawyer accepted, rejected, or hid a settlement offer without your authority.
- [What can you do if your lawyer stole your money?](https://suemylawyer.org/claims/stolen-client-funds): Your lawyer took, kept, or 'borrowed' settlement money, a retainer, or other funds held for you.

## Guides
- [Attorney Fee Dispute Arbitration: How to Challenge Your Lawyer's Bill](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/attorney-fee-dispute-arbitration): Fee arbitration lets you challenge a lawyer's bill for little or no cost. Programs in NY, CA, NJ, FL, TX, and IL compared, plus the 30-day rule and one trap.
- [Before You Sue Your Lawyer: The Evidence Checklist](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/before-you-sue-your-lawyer-checklist): Before you sue your lawyer, confirm your deadline, then gather your file, fee agreement, bills, messages, court docket, and proof of your loss. The checklist.
- [Can You Sue a Lawyer for Emotional Distress?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/can-you-sue-a-lawyer-for-emotional-distress): Usually not for ordinary malpractice. Most states limit legal malpractice damages to economic loss, with exceptions for loss of liberty, egregious conduct, or deeply personal cases.
- [Can You Sue a Public Defender?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/can-you-sue-a-public-defender): You usually cannot sue a public defender under federal civil rights law, and a malpractice suit depends on your state's immunity rules and on being exonerated first.
- [Can You Sue the Other Side's Lawyer?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/can-you-sue-the-other-sides-lawyer): Usually not. Opposing counsel owes you no duty of care and is shielded by the litigation privilege. Here are the narrow exceptions: malicious prosecution, abuse of process, fraud.
- [The Case Within a Case: Why You Have to Prove You Would Have Won](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/case-within-a-case-explained): In most malpractice suits you must prove you would have won the original case if your lawyer had done the job right. How the case within a case works.
- [Client Protection Funds: How to Get Stolen Money Back From a Lawyer](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/client-protection-fund-how-to-get-money-back): If a lawyer stole your money, a state client protection fund may pay you back. U.S. funds awarded $92.2 million from 2020 to 2022. Caps, deadlines, how to file.
- [Do Legal Malpractice Lawyers Work on Contingency?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/do-legal-malpractice-lawyers-work-on-contingency): Many legal malpractice lawyers work on contingency, taking a share only if you recover. What the agreement must say, who pays expert costs, and the exceptions.
- [Does Your Lawyer Have Malpractice Insurance? How to Find Out](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/does-your-lawyer-have-malpractice-insurance): Most states do not require lawyers to carry malpractice insurance. How to check if yours does, which states require disclosure, and how policies work.
- [How Long Does a Legal Malpractice Case Take?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-long-does-a-legal-malpractice-case-take): Malpractice cases that reach trial often take two years or more from filing. National data, California court goals, and what speeds up or slows a case.
- [How Much Is a Legal Malpractice Case Worth?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-much-is-a-legal-malpractice-case-worth): A legal malpractice case is worth what the lawyer's mistake actually cost you and what you could have collected. How damages, caps, and insurance limits work.
- [How to File a Bar Complaint Against a Lawyer](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-to-file-a-bar-complaint-against-a-lawyer): File a bar complaint with the discipline agency in the state where your lawyer is licensed. It is free. What to include, what happens next, and the odds.
- [How to Find a Lawyer Who Sues Lawyers](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-to-find-a-legal-malpractice-lawyer): Find a lawyer who sues lawyers: look for attorneys who represent clients, not insurers, in legal malpractice cases, check certification, and move fast.
- [How to Fire Your Lawyer (Without Wrecking Your Case)](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-to-fire-your-lawyer): You can fire your lawyer at any time, with or without a reason. How to do it safely: line up new counsel, send written notice, get your file, handle the fee.
- [How to Get Your Case File From Your Lawyer](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-to-get-your-case-file-from-your-lawyer): When the representation ends, your lawyer must turn over the file you are entitled to. What counts under ABA Opinion 471, state rules, fees, and how to ask.
- [How to Sue Your Lawyer: The Complete 2026 Guide](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/how-to-sue-your-lawyer): To sue your lawyer you must prove a mistake no careful lawyer would make, and that it cost you money. Elements, deadlines, evidence, costs, and next steps.
- [Ineffective Assistance of Counsel vs. Legal Malpractice](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/ineffective-assistance-vs-legal-malpractice): Ineffective assistance overturns a conviction under Strickland; legal malpractice gets you money. Here is how the two differ and why you usually need the first to win the second.
- [Lawyer Not Returning Calls? Your Rights and What to Do](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/lawyer-not-returning-calls): Lawyers must promptly respond to reasonable client requests under ABA Model Rule 1.4. Here is what the rule requires, when silence becomes malpractice, and what to do next.
- [Do You Need an Expert Witness to Sue Your Lawyer?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/legal-malpractice-expert-witness): In most legal malpractice cases you need an expert witness to prove what a competent lawyer would have done and what the mistake cost you. When you might not.
- [The Legal Malpractice Lawsuit Process, Step by Step](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/legal-malpractice-lawsuit-process): A legal malpractice case moves from file review and expert opinion to filing, motions, discovery, mediation, and trial. What happens at each step and why.
- [Legal Malpractice Settlements and Verdicts: Notable Cases](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/legal-malpractice-settlements-and-verdicts): A sourced table of real legal malpractice verdicts and settlements, from a $196 million Texas verdict to cases cut or reversed on appeal, as of September 2026.
- [Legal Malpractice Statistics: What the Claims Data Shows](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/legal-malpractice-statistics): Estate and probate work produced 13.58% of legal malpractice claims in the ABA's 2020 to 2023 study. Claims by practice area, error type, firm size, and payout.
- [Legal Malpractice Lawsuit vs. Bar Complaint: Which One Gets You Paid?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/legal-malpractice-vs-bar-complaint): A bar complaint can discipline a lawyer but rarely gets you money. A malpractice lawsuit can pay you back. How each works, the odds, and when to use both.
- [My Lawyer Lied to Me: Can I Sue?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/my-lawyer-lied-to-me): You can sue a lawyer who lied to you if the lie cost you money or a case. Learn the claims that apply (fraud, fiduciary duty, malpractice) and how to prove them.
- [My Lawyer Missed a Deadline. What Now?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/my-lawyer-missed-a-deadline-what-now): If your lawyer missed a deadline, first find out if it can still be fixed, then get your file. When it can't, you may have a malpractice claim. Here is how it works.
- [12 Signs Your Lawyer Is Committing Malpractice](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/signs-your-lawyer-is-committing-malpractice): Missed deadlines, a case dismissed, a settlement you never approved, missing money, or silence for months are warning signs. The 12 signs and what to do next.
- [Can You Sue a Lawyer in Small Claims Court?](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/suing-a-lawyer-in-small-claims-court): Yes, you can sue a lawyer in small claims court if the claim fits your state limit, like $12,500 in California or $20,000 in Texas. Limits and what works.
- [What Is Not Legal Malpractice (and What to Do Instead)](https://suemylawyer.org/guides/what-is-not-legal-malpractice): Losing, a reasonable strategy call, a rude lawyer, or a high bill is usually not malpractice on its own. What does not count, and the better fix for each.

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