Fort Lauderdale legal clients have high expectations for attorneys, and there are important rules in place regarding attorney conduct to help govern these relationships. It is important to understand these elements and be prepared to respond to them in the event that one of your clients files a professional malpractice claim.

Legal ethics in most states, like Florida, require that attorneys are honest and able to fulfill their job with a certain level of competence. Even when an attorney does this, however, some clients are simply dissatisfied with the outcome of their case or they had unrealistic expectations going in. For some of these clients, they might retaliate by trying to file a professional malpractice claim. Attorneys are not the only professionals who might see a claim like this during their career, but it certainly can be very damaging when the lifeblood of your practice is your credibility.

Each state has an agency equipped to handle complaints of professional malpractice, and clients may take the step of contacting such an agency if they feel like their attorney has done something wrong. If you have been accused of professional malpractice, you need to act quickly to get legal representation of your own to protect your professional reputation and ability to practice.

Some of the most common elements in professional malpractice cases include allegations that an attorney has not shown up at a court hearing, that he or she lied to a client or a judge, that the attorney has somehow mismanaged money, or has participated in a criminal endeavor. Any of these allegations should be taken seriously even if you feel the case has no merit, since the outcome of a claim could damage your ability to practice.