Hire a Board Certified Lawyer for Your Legal Malpractice Case
If you feel that you have been wronged by your previous attorney and wish to pursue legal malpractice claims, you need a Board Certified lawyer in your corner. You should never try to take on an attorney by yourself. You need to hire an attorney experienced in handling legal malpractice cases, and you should make sure that he/she is Board Certified.
Hiring a lawyer who is Board Certified in Personal Injury Law, which encompasses legal malpractice, strengthens your case immensely – after all, only approximately 5% of practicing attorneys in the state of Texas are Board Certified by the state. But what exactly does it mean to be Board Certified, and how does it benefit clients like you?
How does a lawyer become Board Certified?
The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (or TBLS) has rigorous standards to which they hold all would-be certificate Lawyers. The standards differ by and are tailored to each field of specialization. These are some of the standards for certification in Personal Injury Trial Law:
- Peer review: the applicant’s competence and character must be attested to by a minimum of five peers that also meet requirements for significant involvement in the area of certification.
- Continuing legal education (CLE): the lawyer must have 60 hours of CLE in their area of specialization within the three years immediately preceding application (and another 100 within every five years before reapplication).
- Substantial involvement: substantial involvement is defined as devoting a minimum of 25% of their time to the practice of Personal Injury Trial Law in Texas in the years leading up to certification, with specific task requirements related to the number of cases submitted and days spent in court.
- Passing of an examination: a written examination must be passed upon certification (and recertification). The applicant is ineligible for certification for three years if the examination is failed three times.
Candidates must re-apply for Board certification every five years to ensure that the attorney meets the standards for knowledge of (and involvement in) their area of expertise. This guarantees that every Board Certified lawyer’s knowledge extends from the scholarly and arcane to the current and practical, making them the most qualified overall candidates for their area of specialization, no matter the case.
Generally, it means that your attorney, if they are Board Certified, has a greater level of expertise in the field of their Certification and has greater experience handling cases like yours and going to trial, when the Defendant’s or Insurance Company refuses to settle your case for an amount that fully compensates you for your losses/injuries.
Asking yourself “How do I find a good malpractice lawyer?” Wondering how to find out if a lawyer is Board Certified? The Texas Board of Legal Specialization has a tool that can help you confirm that your malpractice lawyer is indeed Board Certified.
How do I know if I have a legal malpractice lawsuit?
Once you know how to find a top legal malpractice lawyer, suing for legal malpractice can still be an incredibly stressful prospect, as it is often a compounding factor atop your already bad experience with your initial case. We understand that it can be stressful to consider hiring yet another attorney when your last experience with an attorney went south. At Sears Crawford, we sue lawyers because of our fiduciary responsibility to our clients and to our profession. We don’t do it because it’s the popular thing to do, but rather because it is the right thing to do.
Wondering if you have a case? Common types of legal malpractice include:
- Breach of fiduciary duty requires proving that your attorney acted in a way that was not in your best interest.
- Breach of contract involves proving that your attorney failed to comply with any of the terms on your initial contract.
- Conflicts of interest occur when your attorney places anyone’s interests (including theirs) above your own.
- Negligence occurs when your attorney does not follow the standard of care for a reasonable attorney.
- Fraud constitutes any deception for unlawful gain.
- Misuse of finances is more common than you might think and can include excessive billing/fees.
In order to win a legal malpractice case against your former attorney, it must be proved that they breached their obligation (duty of care) to you, and in doing so caused damage. These circumstances can sometimes be difficult to prove, and not all mistakes by attorneys give rise to viable malpractice claims. Hiring a Board Certified Personal Injury lawyer can help you through this process and give you a chance at justice.
Looking for a legal malpractice lawyer? Call Sears Crawford today!
Looking for the best malpractice lawyers in Houston? “Super Lawyer” Ross Sears has over 30 years of experience representing hundreds of clients in legal malpractice cases and is a Board Certified Lawyer in Personal Injury Law (which includes legal malpractice) by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His passion for his clients and his profession has earned him numerous distinctions in the world of legal malpractice and Personal Injury Law.
Looking for someone to fight for you? You are not alone. Give Sears Crawford a call at (713) 223-3333 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation today.
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