Legal malpractice is costing law firms big bucks, and it’s expected to fetch even more soon. Multimillion-dollar payouts increased year over year, according a 2023 report comparing 2022 numbers with the prior year report by Ames & Gough, a business insurance and risk management consultancy.
A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that the estate of Henrietta Lacks can proceed with its lawsuit alleging that a pharmaceutical company unjustly profited from use of her “immortal” cells.
Co-executors of the estate of convicted sex offender and multimillionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein are seeking sanctions against two Boies Schiller Flexner leaders for filing a proposed class action lawsuit against them, even though the lead plaintiff and other victims had signed “ironclad” liability releases in return for “massive monetary payouts.”
Anyone deemed to be “gravely disabled” or suffering from a significant substance abuse disorder can be placed into a conservatorship and institutionalized for an initial 72-hour hold. Longer placements can also happen.
A 26-year-old woman who said she confirmed the identity of her late father through 23andMe has filed a lawsuit after learning that she was left out of a wrongful death settlement reached between other family members and the hospital blamed for his death.
A probate lawyer in Tampa, Florida, who abruptly closed his law firm told a judge Friday that he’s been trying “as diligently as possible” to file withdrawal motions in cases for more than 800 clients.
A law professor’s $5,000 charitable donation can’t take the place of attorney fees that he was ordered to pay for wrongly seeking to remove a probate motion to federal court, a federal judge in Colorado ruled Monday.
An increasing number of homeowners in Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, are using transfer on death instruments to help their heirs avoid a “tangled title” that has to be resolved in a time-consuming probate process.
It’s rare to meet a 100-year-old lawyer. It’s perhaps even rarer to sit with that lawyer and listen as they reflect on their life and career. Alexander Forger, who joined the centenarian club in February, recently gave the ABA Journal that opportunity.
A Tampa, Florida, attorney has been granted leave to file an amended complaint in his libel lawsuit against the founder of a guardianship reform group for his alleged comments about “predatory attorneys” and probate litigators lying in court.
A federal appeals court has ruled that emergency medical personnel have qualified immunity in a civil lawsuit alleging that they wrongly insisted that a woman was dead, leading to her subsequent death.
“If you don’t have it in writing, you’re out of luck.” That’s the common wisdom you’ll hear. But while getting an agreement in writing is a best practice, in some cases you might have more options than you think to enforce a unwritten agreement.
Heirs’ property is a name given to a home or land left to family members without an effective deed or will. With no clear title proving ownership, it can be difficult for descendants to sell or lease their property, build equity, or take advantage of homeowner assistance funds or disaster relief.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
