Learn how to handle legal errors ethically and effectively, with tips to navigate mistakes, client discussions, and avoiding common pitfalls.
Statistics confirm year after year that legal malpractice claims are on the rise. Thus, it is likely that at some point in their career, a lawyer will discover that they have made an error or a mistake in a client matter. What happens next can be critical, both for the lawyer’s ethical obligations to their client and their own potential future exposure. However, the discovery of a mistake does not have to be a gut-wrenching issue. This presentation will identify tips for how to navigate a mistake or error in a client representation, including the attorney’s ethical obligations to the client, how the conversation with the client should go, and what steps may follow. This live webinar will also discuss common mistakes lawyers make in trying to mitigate an error, and how to avoid making a situation worse.
Agenda
Overview, Including Stats on Bar Grievances
What to Do Upon Discovering a Mistake
- Ethical Obligations
- Risks for Insurance
- Duties to Client
Mitigating Errors and Mistakes
- Client Screening
- Common Defenses
Moving Forward From Errors and Mistakes
- Need for Support
- Insurance Applications and Renewals
Speakers
Alanna Clair,
Dentons- Attorney at Dentons US LLP in Washington, D.C.
- Practices in professional liability and law firm defense, as well as commercial litigation and insurance
- Co-author of Georgia Legal Malpractice Law, 2020, and The Lawyer’s Handbook: Ethics Compliance and Claim Avoidance, 2013, published by American Lawyer Media
- Frequent writer and lecturer on issues of attorney ethics, legal malpractice, and claim avoidance
- Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2011-present
- Graduate, Wellesley College and The University of Michigan Law School
- Can be contacted at alanna.clair@dentons.com
Who Should Attend
This live webinar is designed for attorneys. Other legal professionals may also benefit from attending.
