When you hire an attorney to represent you, you expect them to act with professionalism, competence, and diligence. Unfortunately, not all attorneys live up to these expectations, and sometimes they can make serious errors that result in harm to their clients. When this happens, it is known as legal malpractice.

Legal malpractice can occur in many different ways. Some common examples include:

• Failing to meet filing deadlines
• Giving bad advice
• Mishandling client funds
• Failing to investigate or present evidence
• Conflict of interest
• Breach of confidentiality
• Negligence in drafting legal documents

If you believe that your attorney has committed legal malpractice, you may be able to take legal action to recover damages. However, it’s important to understand that not all mistakes made by an attorney constitute legal malpractice. To be successful in a legal malpractice lawsuit, you must be able to prove that your attorney’s actions or inactions fell below the accepted standard of care for attorneys, and that this breach of duty caused you harm.

The statute of limitations for legal malpractice in Illinois is, in most circumstances, two years from the date that you discovered or reasonably should have discovered the malpractice. This means that you must act quickly to file your lawsuit.

If you have a question about legal malpractice, contact Kristi Browne at kbrowne@pattersonlawfirm.com.