Not every lawyer has the expertise and experience to handle medical malpractice claims. Although a law license in most states allows an attorney to practice in any specialty area of the law, or in many areas at the same time, this does not mean that every lawyer is qualified to practice every type of law. Ocassionally, a lawyer will attempt to handle a medical malpractice case without any experience in handling these matters. When this occurs, the lawyer may make mistakes or errors which could substantially prejudice a client's claim for medical malpractice.
If that lawyer's conduct falls below the accepted standard of care, the lawyer may be guilty of legal malpractice. An example of this might be when a lawyer fails to file a medical malpractice action on behalf of his client within the proper statute of limitations period. Because of the complexity of medical malpractice claims, the time deadlines for filing claims is not always straightforward. Many lawyers understand that they could easily committ legal malpractice if they undertook to handle a medical malpractice case without any prior experience or training in handling these complex matters. That is why those lawyers usually refer a potential client to an attorney who possesses the requisite skill and training in these cases.
If you believe that an attorney has committed possible legal malpractice during the course of handling your medical malpractice claim, call us for a free case evaluation. We have evaluated and handled many cases against attorneys who have attempted to handle a medical malpractice claim which was ultimately lost or dismissed because of their inexperience and negligence.