Legal Malpractice

Oct 10, 2013

Malpractice claim: Attorney failed to notify clients of court hearing – $315,000 Verdict

The plaintiffs hired attorney Pauline M. Ewald to represent them in two civil actions. Ewald, counsel of record for the plaintiffs, failed to appear at a final hearing in two […]

Jul 8, 2013

Firm is covered for defamation lawsuit

A Richmond law firm can call on its malpractice carrier to defend a suit that already has been dismissed as time-barred. Alzena Mayfield sued Hill, Tucker & Marsh PLLC for […]

Apr 8, 2013

Plaintiff fails to respond to discovery in malpractice suit – Defense Verdict

This matter involved legal malpractice suits against two defendants – an associate and her law firm – for alleged malpractice in an underlying domestic relations case. Plaintiff alleged defendant associate […]

Dec 10, 2012

Litigation pitfalls and pratfalls

Lawyers can find plenty of ways to stay out of a courtroom. Instead of the hand-to-hand combat of a trial before judge or jury, they can opt for some form […]

Nov 30, 2012

Supreme Court reconsiders rules on lawyer ads

Just two days before new rules on lawyer advertising in Virginia were scheduled to take effect, the Supreme Court of Virginia abruptly dropped the planned revision. In a Nov. 29 […]

Sep 26, 2012

New Will Discovery Means No Malpractice Damages

A law firm accused of malpractice after it sued for its fees for representing plaintiffs in a will contest wins summary judgment in the Alexandria U.S. District Court; the former […]

Sep 19, 2012

Real estate is riskiest practice area, ABA survey finds

Legal malpractice insurers for the first time are reporting a higher percentage of claims involving real estate than any other practice area, according to a new survey from the American […]

Sep 4, 2012

Two lawyers accept bar discipline

A Springfield lawyer who took up with a gambling man 15 years ago has lost her law license for a year based on a federal felony conviction. Sharon R. Connelly […]

Aug 20, 2012

Divorce client wins verdict on equitable distribution claim – $167,744 Verdict

The plaintiff alleged that the defendants, who were plaintiff’s counsel in his divorce and equitable distribution litigation between 2002 and 2005, failed to present evidence and argument to the court […]

Jul 9, 2012

Large claims against law firms increase, study says

The number of big-figure malpractice claims against law firms has increased, according to a new insurance industry survey. “Claims severity has increased significantly in the last year,” said Eileen Garczynski, […]

Jun 11, 2012

When facing trouble, who are the lawyers that other lawyers hire?

A lawyer in trouble – whether being sued for malpractice, charged with a crime or threatened with bar discipline – faces that moment where he or she has to decide: […]

Jun 4, 2012

Hearsay through the grapevine

The rumors started to swirl just as jury selection got underway, rumors that the defendant company had spurned an offer to just “walk away” from the whole messy lawsuit. The […]