With several thousand lawyers in the Oregon State Bar, the quality of lawyers varies. Even good lawyers (or their staff) can make mistakes. When legal malpractice hurts you, then you can sue your own lawyer. That's legal malpractice.

As with any lawsuit for money damages, you have to prove three things: (1) the lawyer failed to act as a reasonably careful lawyer under the circumstances, (2) the screw up hurt you, and (3) the monetary value of your loss.

Legal malpractice claims almost always require expert testimony. Another lawyer who practices in the same field will review what your lawyer did. If the lawyer concludes that your lawyer committed malpractice, then you have a case, so long as the screw up hurt you. (Sometimes mistakes can be fixed without harm to the client.)

The Oregon State Bar requires all Oregon lawyers to have malpractice insurance with a minimum coverage of $300,000. So, if you have a claim and win, then you will actually be able to recover the money. In other areas of the law, sometimes, people have valid legal claims but the person they want so sue has no money. That is not a concern with legal malpractice claims against members of the Oregon State Bar.

I have helped Oregonians with legal malpractice claims and would be please to discuss the facts of your case with you.

If you are having problems with your attorney that might not add up to legal malpractice, then you can ask for help from the Oregon State Bar. If you want to file a complaint with the Oregon State Bar, here's the form.