Legal Question in Legal Malpractice in California
Doing a Bad Job on a Case
Can a lawyer be sued for doing a bad job on a case? A friend of mine was dealing with a case involving unauthorized credit card use, money laundering, etc. He hired this lawyer and it was the worst decision he ever made. He would forget to file papers, wouldn't get things done even after he was reminded by my friend several times. He did a terrible job representing my friend. The case dragged on for over 3 years. In the end, he paid him over 125 K and has to serve 4 years in prison. My friend plans to sue him whenever he gets out. Any advice? Thank you.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Doing a Bad Job on a Case
Your friend would have to prove that your friend would have done better had the lawyer not messed up. That's tough to do, and I'm not sure a lawyer would take that risk on contingency.