When you experience a traumatic event, such as a serious work injury or divorce, you go to an attorney with all of your faith and trust. Like doctors, attorneys are supposed to be the right hand person of their clients and have their best interest at heart, working hard to get them the best results after their case has settled. You expect your lawyer to stick to his or her own professional standards. Unfortunately, that does not always happen, and legal malpractice in New Jersey is more common than you think.
Your lawyer is required to act with competence and with integrity. Just like medical malpractice, legal malpractice is an act, which your attorney will be responsible for, and he or she could face tremendous repercussions for their actions. If you or someone that you know have been the victims of legal malpractice do not hesitate to speak with a new legal representative, speaking to an experienced attorney could be very beneficial to your case.
When an attorney fails to meet the needs of their client, the results can be devastating for the client and their loved ones. There are often additional legal, emotional and financial repercussions. Clients are often left feeling that they are at a total loss and do not know where to turn after they have been misled by their trusted legal representative. Some examples of legal malpractice include:
- Fraud
- Failure to know the law
- Failure to follow instructions
- Problems with disclosure
- Missing deadlines
- Conflicts of interest
- Self-dealing
