Clients hire lawyers to represent them on all matters before the courts and legal system. The high degree of trust required by the attorney-client relationship can be damages by a claim of negligence or incompetence. When the client alleges that the attorney failed to meet this standard, a legal malpractice attorney in California might bring a lawsuit or step in to negotiate a settlement. Frequent issues include spending retainers, inadequate representation, failure to file suit before the statute of limitation expires. and failing to keep the client informed. Legal malpractice attorneys in or around California also defend attorneys accused of malpractice in actions brought by the state bar association or its disciplinary board.
ABPLA Certification in Legal Professional Liability - The American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys is accredited by the ABA to certify attorneys as specialists in legal professional liability law.
CBLS Board Certification in Legal Malpractice Law - Lawyers certified as specialists in legal malpractice law have demonstrated substantial involvement in this area of law.
The CBLS defines the term legal malpractice as the practice of law dealing with "the prosecution or defense of claims against an attorney regarding wrongful acts or omissions arising out of the performance of the attorney's professional services, and/ or issues of attorneys' fees, payments or liens."
The term legal malpractice does not include the prosecution or defense of attorney disciplinary matters.
Santa Monica Lawyer Referral Service - The Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is a community based non-profit service sponsored by the Santa Monica Bar Association. The LRIS of SMBA helps thousands of individuals and businesses each find a qualified attorney throughout Santa Monica, CA, and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles County including Marina del Rey and Malibu.