Another specific area of law that attorney Michael K. Smith handles involves legal malpractice or legal negligence claims. When a person suffers an injury and needs help for an auto accident or other injury caused by a third party, they seek a qualified and experienced lawyer to help them through the process. 90% of the time that lawyer can help his or her client in their legal situation. Unfortunately there are some lawyers who make serious mistakes or violate the ethical rules of professional conduct, which may substantially reduce or lose the claims or rights of the client. Recently a Nashville lawyer was disbarred as a result of his theft of over $700,000 from clients; there is now a civil lawsuit for legal malpractice pending against him for restitution.
Without a skilled and experienced lawyer pursuing a legal malpractice lawsuit, the victims of this attorney would receive nothing.
Some examples of legal malpractice include: failure to file a lawsuit within the statute of limitations deadline for your case, failure to comply with deadlines and court orders, failing to promptly and accurately communicate with you the client important information and decisions, withholding monetary settlement funds, failure to properly research the law and provide adequate representation, or embezzling or stealing client money.
Professional misconduct or inexperience is a problem in most every profession and when an attorney's failure to properly act, missing a deadline set by the Court, the lawsuit being dismissed or even a lawyer stealing money funds from a client occurs, this Legal Malpractice harms the client and can be the basis for attorney discipline by the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. Over the last decade attorney Michael Smith has developed an additional focus and practice helping individuals who have suffered the consequences of a prior lawyer's negligence or failure to properly represent them, causing a case to be dismissed or losing their legal rights for monetary recovery from a person or company that caused their injury. For example, an auto accident victim who has a $50,000 injury claim for an accident can lose any right of recovering any money if her lawyer does not follow the proper legal procedures or fails to file the lawsuit within the one-year statute of limitations.
If you have had this occur by another lawyer, we are prepared to offer a free initial consultation to examine the case file history and determine whether these problems can be repaired. For a Free Consultation by Legal Counsel, Call 615-620-5833 Or 615-620-5833. Many (but not all) experienced and reputable attorneys also have professional liability insurance, which covers and protects clients who are victims of legal malpractice. When a lawyer's negligence causes the lawsuit to be dismissed, sometimes the lawyer hides this information or refuses to communicate promptly and properly with his client - hoping that his malpractice is not discovered. In most situations there is a short statute of limitations for a past client to proceed with a legal malpractice case - if you believe that this may have happened, please consult our office and we will discuss your rights and options.
Often when a person needs to hire an attorney to represent him, they may not know a well-qualified one to consult. You should always try to examine references or recommendations of a lawyer, and also determine the amount of education and experience he or she has. Try to choose your lawyer who focuses or has a significant practice in that area of law, such as auto accidents, medical injury claims or criminal defense. In Tennessee, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility maintains an online listing of attorneys that you can check to verify there was no prior disciplinary actions such as suspension or disbarment. Click here for the online directory.
