The Vermont Professional Responsibility Board has ordered that an attorney receive a public reprimand for violating multiple Vermont Rules of Professional Conduct. In the matter of John Burke, the estate of a deceased Ohio man hired a Vermont attorney to assist in transferring property in Vermont owned by the decedent to…
A Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey has held that an attorney defending a legal malpractice suit, is not limited to the discovery previously conducted in an underlying action. In Smith v. DeZao, a family hired an attorney to represent them in…
The Supreme Court of Idaho has reversed the dismissal of a legal malpractice action on the basis that the case was not time-barred under the applicable statute of limitations. In Minnick v. Ennis, a husband and wife owned a large tract of land in Idaho, which they intended to develop…
The Office of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge, located in Denver, has suspended a Colorado attorney from practicing law, following an investigation by the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel (“ARC”). In People v. Samuel Reyes Escamilla, an attorney was disciplined as a result of his conduct in three separate client…
The Supreme Court of Kansas has disbarred an attorney for his conduct as defense counsel in a capital murder case. In the Matter of Hawver, a Kansas attorney represented a criminal defendant accused of murder, despite having no prior experience trying capital murder cases. He also did not associate with…
The New York Appellate Division has affirmed a judgment dismissing a legal malpractice claim against a New York attorney and his law firm. In Mizuno v. Nunberg, a client hired an attorney to represent him in bankruptcy proceedings, after a bank foreclosed on the client’s property. The client was unable…
California’s Fourth District Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a legal malpractice action on the basis that it was barred by the applicable statute of limitations. In Torres v. Blankenship, a client hired an attorney to represent her in various legal proceedings over a two year…
Insight: The short answer is yes. As a party to a lawsuit, you are responsible for paying the costs of litigation. These expenses include court filing fees, medical record copying costs, deposition transcript fees, and expert witness fees. As your attorney suggested, these costs are typically advanced by lawyer. Upon…
The Supreme Court of Nebraska has suspended an attorney for an indefinite term after finding that she disclosed confidential information about a client. In re Donna J. Tonderum, a Nebraska attorney informed a prosecutor that she believed one of her former clients was guilty of a crime. The client had…
The Supreme Court of Louisiana has disbarred an attorney after finding that he failed to refund unearned attorney’s fees to 26 clients. In re Charles Tanner Phillips, II, a Louisiana attorney accepted and kept attorney’s fees from multiple clients, but did not perform any substantive legal work in return. One…