Today’s subject is legal malpractice. ‘Tis true; attorneys make mistakes. Really!

Malpractice is a term synonymous with professional negligence. One sounds ugly, and the other doesn’t. Still,, they have the same meaning. And that meaning? Per The Free Dictionary

Malpractice refers to negligence or misconduct by a professional person, such as a lawyer, a doctor, a dentist, or an accountant. The failure to meet the standard of care … that is recognized by a profession reaches the level of malpractice when a client or patient is damaged because of error.

Some appellate court opinions—and yours truly—nibble at the edges of this definition. For our purposes, it suffices.

So, if I make a mistake I’ve committed malpractice? No. First, there is that “standard of care” thing. The standard of care represents, in any given situation, how an average attorney will handle a given set of circumstances. Defending a legal malpractice where the attorney has made mistakes challenges defense counsel. The average person who will sit in a jury box assumes lawyers should not make mistakes. Still, errors and substandard work differ. (In 1961, in Lucas v. Hamm, the California Supreme Court did not hold an attorney liable for alleged errors associated with the Rule against Perpetuities, an arcane part of trust law. Too complicated for an attorney of average skill and ability, per the Court.)

Who sets the standard of care? Ultimately, it’s the court or the jury. But, they gain the knowledge they need to make a decision from expert witnesses. In a legal malpractice case the plaintiff and defendant hire experienced, capable lawyers to share their knowledge about the disputed issue(s). On occasion a case may be clear enough on standard of care to eliminate the need for experts. For example, a lawyer fails to sue within two years of a car crash, with no good explanation. But, these situations occur rarely

A clear breach of the standard of care does not, always, resolve matters. Why? Malpractice or professional negligence requires damages and causation aka a nexus between the breach of the standard of care and the damage. No harm equals no malpractice, even if I screwed up. And if the client has been damaged, but the breach of the standard of care did not cause the damages, there’s no malpractice.

Practical examples? Lawyer does not timely file a client’s lawsuit. Pretty clear breach of the standard of care—deadlines-r-us—and the issue for the jury will likely be, Was the client’s suit any good and, if so, what was it worth? Lawyer represents multiple clients, favoring one and disadvantaging others. Lawyer does a lot split for clients, but does not do it properly, forcing clients to pay someone else to get it right.

I work both sides of the malpractice divide, representing lawyers who get sued and, from time to time, suing lawyers. I also testify as an expert witness on standard of care and causation issues.

This piece is part of a loose series of law posts which are designed to introduce some practice areas at Rubin & Bernstein PLLC.