Attorneys are fixers. This characteristic may be natural for some or was instilled and molded through law school for others but, however it came to be, attorneys fix legal problems. Consequently, if an attorney is presented with a legal problem, they attempt to fix it. Hammer, meet nail. The problem with being a fixer of [...]
When thinking of a topic for this blog, I initially had a few ideas bouncing around in my head related to avoiding malpractice. But then what was a threat of a possible COVID-19 pandemic became a reality and life changed for millions of people within days. Suddenly my pearls of wisdom no longer seemed that [...]
Q: What do you get when you cross the Godfather with a lawyer? A: An offer you can't understand. Q: How does an attorney sleep? A: First he lies on one side, then he lies on the other. It seems like there are more lawyer jokes than stars in the sky, and there may not [...]
January is a time for making new resolutions, setting goals and evaluating what works and what can be improved. Generally, a majority of these discussions focus on exercise, diet, and healthy living. But what about you and your law firm’s financial health? It is critical for your firm to maintain appropriate professional liability coverage, especially [...]
In the Claims world, we love closure letters. Unfortunately, we rarely see them in the files – perhaps that is because attorneys who send closure letters may not be sued as much as those who do not send closure letters! When we use the term, “closure letter” we are referring to a letter that the [...]
It is almost Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner. All of the retailers panicked with 7 fewer days to shop between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The holiday season started off with a BOO!!! This was appreciated and celebrated by some and cursed by others for obvious reasons. No matter how the holiday season started [...]
Maybe obvious, but one of the most important considerations in a claims made and reported insurance policy is timely reporting. ALPS’ Claims Made and Reported Policy requires an insured to immediately report any claim or circumstance that could reasonably be expected to be the basis of a claim. Generally, coverage does not exist for a [...]
It is often said that money is the root of all evil. I don't know if that's true but what is true is money is the center of all legal malpractice claims. A lawyer can be retained to help someone divide up precious heirlooms in an estate, to obtain citizenship in our country, to clear [...]
What does making and freezing 30 breakfast burritos have in common with trial? Last weekend, as I found myself standing in the kitchen, elbows deep in scrambled eggs, bacon, and tortillas, my mind wandered to a topic that I thought might be a fit for this blog — proper preparation and being ready for anything. [...]
I suspect having to deal with an allegation of malpractice isn’t something anyone would put on a list of “things I look forward to" for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which is the emotional roller coaster so many experience throughout the life of a claim. Of course, once the claims reporting process [...]
