Orange County Legal Malpractice Attorney
When you engage in a lawyer’s services, you have a right to professional, competent representation. Unfortunately, some attorneys fail to live up to the standards of their profession. This is called legal malpractice. When a lawyer fails in their duties to a client, they hurt the very people who came to them for legal counsel and help.
Clients who are injured financially, emotionally, or legally by a lawyer’s misdeeds, can sue for legal malpractice and collect damages for their injuries. At the Law Offices of Samer Habbas & Associates, the Irvine attorneys hold negligent attorneys accountable for their actions. They will fight for your rights and help you seek the justice that you deserve. Orange County legal malpractice attorney can come in many forms and can significantly harm your case as well as your future. With multiple offices located in Irvine, Los Angeles, El Segundo, San Diego, and Riverside, our lawyers represent victims of legal malpractice across Southern California. To schedule a free consultation with one of our accident attorneys, call 949-727-9300.
Are You a Victim of Your Lawyer’s Malpractice?
The Orange County legal malpractice attorneys at Law Offices of Samer Habbas have extensive experience prosecuting the rights of victims of legal malpractice. The Irvine lawyers know how to handle all types of legal malpractice cases, including:
- Conflicts of interests – such as representing two parties in the same case.
- Ethics violations – such as dislocating facts about your case to a third party.
- Incompetent legal representation – such as conducting an insufficient investigation.
- Missed deadlines – such as failing to file timely court documents.
- Intentional wrongdoing – such as engaging in wrongful actions on purpose.
Any of these mistakes can negatively impact your case and result in loss of damage or your case being thrown out or never heard by a judge. It is frustrating and unjust to lose money or your ability to properly litigate your case because of an ineffective or negligent lawyer. The lawyers at the Law Offices of Samer Habbas can help you seek justice and make sure you finally get the respect you deserve.
Proving a Legal Malpractice Case
In order to successfully handle a legal malpractice case, your attorney will need to prove the following:
- Attorney-Client Relationship
An attorney-client relationship must be proven for a legal malpractice suit to hold up in court. Without a professional relationship, a legal malpractice lawyer cannot establish that the attorney had a duty to provide any services for a client.
- Negligent Standard of Care
Once a professional relationship has been established, an Orange County legal malpractice attorney must demonstrate the standard of care applied to the services rendered to the client. With the standard of care established, the next move is to show how an attorney violated or failed to meet that standard of care.
Generally, an attorney cannot be sued for legal malpractice for making honest mistakes while representing a client. So long as a lawyer makes decisions that are grounded in the best interests of the client and are within the scope of the law, errors in judgment are not legal malpractice.
Establishing a negligent standard of care can be very straightforward, such as in the case of an attorney failing to bring a case to trial before the statute of limitations runs out. Usually, proving a negligence standard of care is a complex matter requiring skill and a nuanced understanding of the law as it relates to attorney-client matters.
- Proximate Cause
Next, a legal malpractice lawyer must establish that the negligent standard of care given by the attorney is the proximate cause of an injury to the client. A proximate cause is an act or event which, by itself and with no intervening causes, is absolutely necessary for the occurrence of another event.
- Fact and Extent of Injury
After the attorney’s actions have been shown to be the proximate cause of injury, a legal malpractice lawyer will next prove the fact and extent of the injury suffered by the client. These injuries can be financial, emotional, or legal.
Why You Can Trust the Law Offices of Samer Habbas
As the victim of legal malpractice, it makes sense for you to feel wary of other lawyers. However, our dedicated legal malpractice team of lawyers provides the highest quality of representation in each case we handle, regardless of what the matter entails. The Irvine lawyers make it their goal to ensure that clients receive the full amount they are entitled to. They do everything to hold negligent attorneys accountable for their actions.
Similar to other professions, if attorneys were afraid of legal action for any degree of human error, we could not do our jobs and properly represent clients. However, certain acts and omissions are serious enough that they rise to the level of professional malpractice. If you have been the victim of legal malpractice, you should not wait long before contacting the Law Offices of Samer Habbas.
Frequently Asked Legal Malpractice Questions
- Can I sue for legal malpractice if my attorney did not file paperwork on time? — The simple answer is yes. However, legal malpractice claims can be very complex and difficult. In order to have a worthy case, you must be able to prove your attorney’s negligence under either of the following: failure to provide competent representation, breached a duty by making a careless mistake, or their actions are direct causation of your financial or any other damages.
- Is my lawyer allowed to accept a settlement offer without my consent? — No, a lawyer is not allowed to agree to a settlement offer without their client’s approval. Although in order to prove this malpractice, you will have to show that the attorney accepted an offer far less than the value of your case.
- How long do I have to file a lawsuit against my lawyer for legal malpractice? — In California, the statute of limitations to file a claim for legal malpractice is either one year after the plaintiff discovers the legal malpractice or four years from the date of when the attorney’s wrongful acts occurred.
Contact an Experienced Orange County Legal Malpractice Attorney
At the Law Offices of Samer Habbas & Associates, the Irvine attorneys are highly skilled in handling legal malpractice cases. With multiple offices located in Irvine, Los Angeles, El Segundo, San Diego, and Riverside, our lawyers represent victims of legal malpractice across Southern California. For more information or to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of the experienced legal malpractice attorneys, please call 949-727-9300. The Law Offices of Samer Habbas & Associates is dedicated to helping victims receive the best compensation for their injustice.
