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Hamilton Law Firm LLC

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Home » Practice Areas » Legal Malpractice

Kansas & Missouri Legal Malpractice Law

Legal malpractice occurs when an attorney intentionally or negligently mishandles a case and causes injury to a client. Statistics indicate that lawyer malpractice is a significant problem in the United States and that the number of legal malpractice claims brought each year is increasing faster than the growth of the legal industry.

Based in Lenexa, Kansas, the Hamilton Law Firm represents parties in legal malpractice actions in the greater Kansas City area and throughout Kansas and Missouri.

Elements of Legal Malpractice

Clients bring legal malpractice claims when they feel that they have been harmed in some way by their attorney's representation. To succeed in legal malpractice claim in Kansas or Missouri, a client must prove four distinct elements. First, a client must show that an attorney-client relationship existed between the two parties. An attorney-client relationship typically arises when an attorney gives or promises to give legal advice to any person. Second, a client must prove that the attorney acted negligently, or with the intent to harm the client. Attorney negligence is defined as the failure to exercise the care, skill and diligence commonly possessed by a member of the legal profession. Third, the plaintiff must show that the attorney's actions were the cause of the plaintiff's injury. Finally, the plaintiff must convince the court that without the attorney's improper behavior, the plaintiff would have been successful in the underlying case.

The final element is often the most difficult to prove. If the injury may have occurred despite the attorney's actions, no cause of action for legal malpractice will be admitted. In order to preserve a claim for legal malpractice, a client must file a complaint within the statute of limitations period. The length of the statute of limitations for legal malpractice claims varies among states. Failure to file a claim within the limitations period bars the plaintiff from pursuing legal action against the attorney.

Types of Legal Malpractice

Legal malpractice may take a number of different forms, ranging from minor instances of negligence to intentionally fraudulent conduct. Common types of legal malpractice include:

  • Failure to meet court deadlines.
  • Failure to act within the statute of limitations.
  • Failure to return phone calls or communicate with a client.
  • Failure to resolve conflicts of interest.
  • Failure to know the law or perform adequate research.
  • Abuse or misuse of a client's trust account, including commingling trust account funds with the attorney's personal account.
  • Improper withdrawal from representation.

Remedies for Legal Malpractice

A victim of legal malpractice may seek recovery in several different ways. The most common remedy for legal malpractice is to file a civil lawsuit against the attorney. If successful, a client may recover money damages. If the attorney committed theft or fraud, the attorney may also be subject to criminal prosecution. If the prosecution is successful, the court may order the attorney to pay restitution to the client. A client with a legal malpractice claim may also report the attorney to the state disciplinary board. Each state has a licensing board (also known as the "state bar") which is responsible for regulating the ethical behavior of all attorneys within the state. While the client is unlikely to recover damages, potential disciplinary sanctions include disbarment or the payment of fines to the state bar association.

The Hamilton Law Firm represents parties in legal malpractice actions. Our experience includes legal malpractice claims against attorneys and law firms who committed errors in their advice to or representation of their clients, such as errors in litigation, business transactions, or the drafting of other legal documents.

Our experience also includes other types of wrongdoing by attorneys and law firms, such as the representation of clients while under a conflict of interest, the intentional cover up of harmful errors by attorneys to avoid liability to clients, the embezzlement of money belonging to clients, fraud, and other forms of intentional wrongdoing by attorneys and law firms. We advise clients on how to best mitigate damages caused by their former attorneys, and we represent clients in business negotiations and litigation that may become necessary to fix the errors caused by malpractice.

Contact Us: Lenexa, KS, Legal Malpractice Lawyer Serving Kansas & Missouri

If you need advice from an experienced, diligent and committed legal malpractice lawyer, please contact the Hamilton Law Firm: call (913) 888-7100, email patrick@lenexalaw.com, or complete our online form. Based in Lenexa, in the Kansas City area, we practice throughout Kansas and Missouri.

Practice Areas

Business Litigation
Legal Malpractice
Local Counsel
Medical Malpractice
Nursing Home Abuse
Personal Injury
Product Liability
Wrongful Death

For More Information

Fill out our online form

Recent Blog Posts

18
Negligence Lawsuits: What the Plaintiff Must Prove
February 18th, 2021
Negligence occurs when a party fails to exercise proper care and, as a result, damages occur. Laws surrounding negligence and liability vary from state to state, so it’s important to contact a Kansas and Missouri injury attorney to represent your c… Read More
6
Legal Malpractice: What You Must Prove
February 6th, 2017
If you believe you were not represented properly by an attorney, a Kansas legal malpractice attorney can help determine if you may have a claim. As you can imagine, pursuing a claim against an attorney can be an uphill battle. Attorneys that may be p… Read More

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Representative Work

$170,000 Jury Verdict in Negligent Misrepresenation Case
On April 24, 2018, attorney Patrick Hamilton obtained a $170,000 jury verdict in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas in a negligent misrepresentation case. Hamilton Law Firm’s client purchased a house in Kansas City, Missouri. Defendant Kathryn Sylvia was the seller’s real estate agent and an employee of defendant Platinum Realty. The sale was a “cash sale” in which payment was to be wired. The plaintiff received wiring instructions via email from Sylvia’s email account. Plaintiff forwarded the wiring instructions to his bank, which wired his money in accordance with the instructions. In actuality, the wiring instructions were prepared by a criminal hacker which caused plaintiff’s funds to be misdirected to Citi Bank in New York City. When the loss was discovered, plaintiff sued Sylvia and Platinum for negligent misrepresentation. The defendants claimed they did not email the wiring instructions to plaintiff and that plaintiff was comparatively negligent by not reviewing the wiring instructions before sending them to his bank. After a two day jury trial, the jury assigned defendants 85% of the fault and attributed 15% of the fault to plaintiff. Total damages were $196,622.67 with a net recovery to plaintiff of $167,129.27. Bain v. Platinum Realty LLC et al., Case No. 16-CV-02326-JWL. Read More
$280,000 Jury Verdict in Legal Malpractice Case (January 18, 2017)
On January 18, 2017, Hamilton Law Firm LLC obtained a $280,000.00 jury verdict in a legal malpractice lawsuit for Power Control Devices, Inc., an Olathe company specializing in the manufacture of electronic devices. The underlying litigation involved a breach of contract lawsuit against Orchid Engineering, Technologies and Consulting in the Boston, Massachusetts area. After PCD’s case had been pending for almost two years, Orchid filed a motion for summary judgment contending the lawsuit was not filed before the statutes of limitation expired. The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts agreed, dismissing Power Control’s claims as untimely. Hamilton Law firm sued Power Control’s attorney in the underlying litigation, Michael “Mick” Lerner, for legal malpractice. After a seven day jury trial in Johnson County Kansas District Court, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Power Control. PCD Verdict Form 2617 Read More

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Hamilton Law Firm LLC
8700 Monrovia, Suite 310
Lenexa, KS 66215
913-647-7512

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