A Primer on the Texas Bar Disciplinary System | Seana Willing | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Polsinelli Podcast - Avoiding Professional Liability
Wire transfer fraud is on the rise, and attorneys are increasingly becoming prime targets for cybercriminals. With billions lost annually to fraudulent transactions, legal professionals who fail to implement robust...more
Assume the deceased settlor of a trust had intended that his niece be included in the beneficiary class, but his estate-planning attorney had negligently made no provision for her in the governing instrument. After settlor’s...more
Professional liability claims impact a multitude of professions, including those in the legal, medical, financial and insurance industries. Claims for malpractice, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and related...more
In Villaver v. Paglinawan, 2024 N.Y. Slip Op. 04159 (2d Dept. Aug. 7, 2024) (here), the Appellate Division, Second Department reversed the dismissal of a legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and intentional infliction...more
Forshee v. Moulton, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 2520 (Houston [14th Dist.] April 11, 2024) - Brief Summary - The Texas Court of Appeals held that when a plaintiff's claim against her former attorney properly is grounded in...more
Brief Summary - The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois held that a law firm representing the administrator in estate proceedings did not owe a duty to a beneficiary of the estate, and the...more
On April 26, 2022 the Supreme Court of New Jersey heard arguments about whether New Jersey should retain the judicially created “new business rule”. Since 1936 the rule has held that in the context of calculating damages...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, applying North Dakota law, has held that a lawyers professional liability policy did not provide coverage for a legal malpractice lawsuit where the insured knew or...more
In Flores v. Branscomb PC, before her death, the decedent hired counsel to prepare a new will. No. 13-18-00411-CV, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 4612 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi June 10, 2021, no pet. history)....more
A Georgia appellate court held that plaintiff's nearly $6 million damage award was improper because the trial court permitted the jury to view a copy of the complaint which included allegations and claims that had been...more
Scot Vandenberg v. RQM, LLC, 2020 IL App (1st) 190544 - Brief Summary - An Illinois appellate court affirmed the adjudication of a firm's attorney's liens down to zero, where the discharged firm failed to provide any...more
Plaintiffs appealed the district court's order granting summary judgment in favor of defendants on plaintiffs' legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants were negligent in...more
R.M. v. Dennis, Jackson, Martin & Fontela, P.A., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68115 Brief Summary - Utah's federal district court granted a motion to dismiss filed by a Florida-based law firm and its associate (collectively...more
Signal Fin. Holdings, Ltd. Liab. Co. v. Looking Glass Fin., Ltd. Liab. Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 206857 (N.D. Ill., Judge Joan H. Lefkow, 12/2/19) Brief Summary - A federal district court in Illinois granted defendants'...more
Pence v. Slate, et al., 2018AP652 - Brief Summary - One month after the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its decision in MacLeish v. Boadman & Clark, LLP, 381 Wis. 2d 471 (2019)—a decision discussed in our previous...more
In Milligan v. Salamone, the Greenberg Taurig lawfirm represented the bankrupt company when it sued a president and board member. No. 1:18-CV-327-RP, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41009 (W.D. Tex. March 14, 2019). Greenberg drafted...more
In Attallah v. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP, 2019 WL 362266, the Supreme Court of New York's Appellate Division upheld the dismissal of a legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty case against a law firm on the...more
The court-appointed receiver for a group of interrelated companies sued by the CFPB in September 2014 for engaging in allegedly unlawful online payday lending activities has filed a malpractice lawsuit against the law firm...more
Ok, so maybe "dead" is a bit hyperbolic, but the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in Innes v. Marzano-Lesnevich, No. 074291, ___ N.J. _____ (N.J. Apr. 26, 2016) has raised serious questions about just how far the New...more
Conflicts of Interest — Subject Matter Conflicts — Can IP Attorneys Simultaneously Represent Two Clients That Are Prosecuting Patents for Similar Inventions? - Maling v. Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner,...more
In Fitts v. Richards-Smith, three brothers were riding in a car when the car hit another vehicle properly stopped in the road. 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 1542 (Tex. App.—Texarkana February 17, 2016, no pet. history). The driver was...more
On February 10, 2016, the Texas Supreme Court heard argument in a case that involves the issue of legal standing to sue when a trust is injured by the actions of a third party. In DLA Piper US, LLP v. Linegar, Chris Linegar...more
The number of lawsuits against trust, probate and estate planning attorneys has significantly increased over the last several years. Today, trust, probate and estate planing attorneys are charged with legal malpractice and...more
Brief Summary - The plaintiff, a shareholder of limited liability company (LLC), filed an action against a law firm and one of its lawyers, alleging they aided and abetted other shareholders in breaching their fiduciary...more
In a recent ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court gave employers a great recourse for dealing with former employees who breach their duty of loyalty. In Bruce Kaye v. Alan P. Rosefielde, the Court allowed an employer to...more