Legal Malpractice FAQs

Legal malpractice is "bad lawyering" that results in harm or damage or loss. Legal malpractice is improper or negligent conduct by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel. If a legal professional is negligent or careless while providing legal services for a client and the client suffers injury or loss as a result, that legal professional has committed legal malpractice.

Legal malpractice is a failure to perform as a reasonable legal professional should have performed under the circumstances; it can be a failure to do something that should have been done or doing something that should not have been done.

In legal terms, legal malpractice is a deviation from the standard of care expected of a similar attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel in similar circumstances. As the Connecticut Supreme Court has stated: "Malpractice is commonly defined as 'the failure of one rendering professional services to exercise that degree of skill and learning commonly applied under all the circumstances in the community by the average prudent reputable member of the profession with the result of injury, loss, or damage to the recipient of those services....'" Barnes v. Schlein, 192 Conn. 732, 735 (1984).

We prosecute Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic). We also have lawyers licensed in Massachusetts and New York.

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

We charge No Fees and No Expenses unless and until we win your legal malpractice claim. And if you cannot travel, we can come to you.

Our Connecticut Legal Malpractice Law Group has the legal, financial, and technical experience and know-how to get you the compensation you need and deserve. We have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by negligent legal providers since 1983 and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Also, Advocates Law Firm LLC has earned the highest rating possible for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. To learn more about our Legal Malpractice Law Group, click here: Qualifications and Experience.

A claim for legal malpractice in Connecticut is a civil action seeking money damages because an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel was negligent in providing legal services or legal advice. A claim for legal malpractice is a claim in negligence applying the principles of tort law. In such a claim, an injured person (or the estate of a deceased person) alleges that an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel deviated from the standard of care expected of a similar legal services provider by doing something that should not have been done or by failing to do something that should have been done.

What distinguishes malpractice cases from ordinary negligence cases is the professional standard of care and the need for expert testimony.

Accordingly, to prevail in a legal malpractice action in Connecticut, a plaintiff must prove (1) the requisite standard of care for the legal services or advice; (2) a deviation from that standard of care; and (3) a causal connection or relationship between that deviation and the injury or loss. Moreover, each of these elements must be proven through expert testimony.

We prosecute Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic). We also have lawyers licensed in Massachusetts and New York.

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

We charge No Fees and No Expenses unless and until we win your legal malpractice claim. And if you cannot travel, we can come to you.

Our Connecticut Legal Malpractice Law Group has the legal, financial, and technical experience and know-how to get you the compensation you need and deserve. We have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by negligent legal providers since 1983 and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Also, Advocates Law Firm LLC has earned the highest rating possible for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. To learn more about our Legal Malpractice Law Group, click here: Qualifications and Experience.

At Advocates Law Firm, we have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by legal malpractice, attorney negligence, and law firm misconduct since 1983. In that time, we have reviewed many legal malpractice claims and recovered millions of dollars for our clients.

Atty. Murphy is an experienced and trained professional with significant experience in prosecuting malpractice claims arising from attorney negligence. Our firm has earned the highest rating possible from other lawyers for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. In short, we have the experience and know-how to help you and your family get the compensation you need and deserve for your legal malpractice injuries and losses.

Our Legal Malpractice Law Group is lead by Attorney Ron Murphy. Ron has been licensed to practice law in Connecticut since 1983 and Massachusetts since 1985.

Attorney Murphy was an Adjunct Instructor of Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he taught “Trial Advocacy” and “Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility,” a course that deals specifically with how lawyers and law firms are supposed to conduct business. Attorney Murphy is also a long time and active member of the two Connecticut Bar Association Committees that deal specifically with the conduct of lawyers: the Professional Discipline Committee, and the Professional Ethics Committee. In addition, Attorney Murphy is a member of the Center for Professional Responsibility of the American Bar Association. Attorney Murphy draws on this knowledge and experience when representing the victims of Legal Malpractice.

Attorney Murphy is also: a graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College and was one of its Staff Instructors, where he taught lawyers from around the country how to get the maximum recovery for injured clients; one of the Staff Instructors at the Connecticut Bar Association's Trial Advocacy Institute; a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum (where membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for clients); a designated "SuperLawyer" (an honor limited to no more that 5% of the lawyers in any state) in the areas of Personal Injury and Malpractice Law as chosen by his peers through a poll conducted by the national publication "Law and Politics"; a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; and a member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys.

As you can see, Atty. Ron Murphy has the experience and background to successfully handle any serious claim involving an injury or loss caused by legal malpractice, attorney negligence, or law firm misconduct. He prosecutes Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic).

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

At Advocates Law Firm, if we agree to take your Connecticut legal malpractice claim, we charge NO FEES and NO EXPENSES UNLESS and UNTIL we win your claim.

In other words, our Legal Malpractice Law Group will do all the work and advance all the expenses to prosecute your legal malpractice claim but we get paid and reimbursed only from the recovery we obtain for you. We take legal malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis because otherwise our clients would never be able to afford to bring the claim to seek justice. Legal malpractice claims are very expensive to prosecute in terms of time and money. Ordinary people rarely have the money necessary to pay hourly fees for lawyers' time or the many expenses associated with prosecuting a legal malpractice claim. In recognition of this reality, our Legal Malpractice Law Group decided that if we are going to help people get justice for the harms and losses they have suffered as a result of legal malpractice, we will do so on a contingency fee basis. We will evaluate your claim and if we decide to take your case, we put our time and money at risk for you as your partner in the pursuit of justice.

Our contingent fee in a legal malpractice claim would be one-third of the gross amount recovered plus reimbursement of all of the expenses we advanced related to prosecuting your legal malpractice claim. If for some reason there is no gross recovery, there would be no attorney's fee paid and no expenses reimbursed. All of this would be spelled out in a written retainer agreement signed by you and Atty. Ron Murphy on behalf of our Legal Malpractice Law Group.

We prosecute Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic). We also have lawyers licensed in Massachusetts and New York.

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

We charge No Fees and No Expenses unless and until we win your legal malpractice claim. And if you cannot travel, we can come to you.

Our Connecticut Legal Malpractice Law Group has the legal, financial, and technical experience and know-how to get you the compensation you need and deserve. We have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by negligent legal providers since 1983 and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Also, Advocates Law Firm LLC has earned the highest rating possible for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. To learn more about our Legal Malpractice Law Group, click here: Qualifications and Experience.

"Venue" refers to where your Connecticut legal malpractice lawsuit should be filed. If a legal malpractice lawsuit is filed in the wrong Connecticut courthouse, it could be transferred or dismissed.

The proper venue for a Connecticut lawsuit seeking money damages for significant injury or financial loss arising from legal malpractice depends on one of three criteria: (1) where the injured party resides; (2) where the defendant lawyer or law firm resides or does business; or (3) where the legal malpractice occurred if neither party resides in Connecticut.

According to Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-344 (1), the courthouse for the Judicial District of Ansonia - Milford (located at 14 West River Street, Milford 06460) would be the proper venue for your legal malpractice claim if the above criteria are met for any of the following Connecticut towns: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton and West Haven.

In addition, even though the following towns are not located in the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford, we can choose to file a legal malpractice claim there if you or the defendant lawyer or law firm live or conduct business in any of the following Connecticut towns: Bethany, Milford, West Haven, Woodbury; or Southbury. See Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-345 (c) and (d).

Whenever we have a choice, the lawyers in our Legal Malpractice Law Group will file your Connecticut legal malpractice claim in the courthouse that we believe would be best for you based on our judgment and experience.

We prosecute Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic). We also have lawyers licensed in Massachusetts and New York.

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

We charge No Fees and No Expenses unless and until we win your legal malpractice claim. And if you cannot travel, we can come to you.

Our Connecticut Legal Malpractice Law Group has the legal, financial, and technical experience and know-how to get you the compensation you need and deserve. We have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by negligent legal providers since 1983 and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Also, Advocates Law Firm LLC has earned the highest rating possible for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. To learn more about our Legal Malpractice Law Group, click here: Qualifications and Experience.

"Venue" refers to where your Connecticut legal malpractice lawsuit should be filed. If a legal malpractice lawsuit is filed in the wrong Connecticut courthouse, it could be transferred or dismissed.

The proper venue for a Connecticut lawsuit seeking money damages for significant injury or financial loss arising from legal malpractice depends on one of three criteria: (1) where the injured party resides; (2) where the defendant lawyer or law firm resides or does business; or (3) where the legal malpractice occurred if neither party resides in Connecticut.

According to Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-344 (2), the courthouse for the Judicial District of Danbury (located at 146 White Street, Danbury 06810) would be the proper venue for your legal malpractice claim if the above criteria are met for any of the following Connecticut towns: Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Sherman.

In addition, even though the following towns are not located in the Judicial District of Danbury, we can choose to file a legal malpractice claim there if you or the defendant lawyer or law firm live or conduct business in any of the following Connecticut towns: New Milford. See Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-345 (j).

Whenever we have a choice, the lawyers in our Legal Malpractice Law Group will file your Connecticut legal malpractice claim in the courthouse that we believe would be best for you based on our judgment and experience.

We prosecute Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic). We also have lawyers licensed in Massachusetts and New York.

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

We charge No Fees and No Expenses unless and until we win your legal malpractice claim. And if you cannot travel, we can come to you.

Our Connecticut Legal Malpractice Law Group has the legal, financial, and technical experience and know-how to get you the compensation you need and deserve. We have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by negligent legal providers since 1983 and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Also, Advocates Law Firm LLC has earned the highest rating possible for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. To learn more about our Legal Malpractice Law Group, click here: Qualifications and Experience.

"Venue" refers to where your Connecticut legal malpractice lawsuit should be filed. If a legal malpractice lawsuit is filed in the wrong Connecticut courthouse, it could be transferred or dismissed.

The proper venue for a Connecticut lawsuit seeking money damages for significant injury or financial loss arising from legal malpractice depends on one of three criteria: (1) where the injured party resides; (2) where the defendant lawyer or law firm resides or does business; or (3) where the legal malpractice occurred if neither party resides in Connecticut.

According to Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-344 (3), the courthouse for the Judicial District of Fairfield (located at 1061 Main Street, Bridgeport 06604) would be the proper venue for your legal malpractice claim if the above criteria are met for any of the following Connecticut towns: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull.

In addition, even though the following towns are not located in the Judicial District of Fairfield, we can choose to file a legal malpractice claim there if you or the defendant lawyer or law firm live or conduct business in any of the following Connecticut towns: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, or Wilton. See Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-345 (e).

Whenever we have a choice, the lawyers in our Legal Malpractice Law Group will file your Connecticut legal malpractice claim in the courthouse that we believe would be best for you based on our judgment and experience.

We prosecute Legal Malpractice and Serious Injury and Loss claims in all Connecticut Judicial Districts: Ansonia (Milford), Danbury, Fairfield (Bridgeport), Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London (Norwich), Stamford (Norwalk), Tolland (Rockville), Waterbury, and Windham (Putnam and Willimantic). We also have lawyers licensed in Massachusetts and New York.

If you have suffered a significant injury or financial loss as a result of legal malpractice caused by an attorney, lawyer, law firm, or legal support personnel, please contact our Legal Malpractice Law Group to arrange a free and confidential consultation.

We charge No Fees and No Expenses unless and until we win your legal malpractice claim. And if you cannot travel, we can come to you.

Our Connecticut Legal Malpractice Law Group has the legal, financial, and technical experience and know-how to get you the compensation you need and deserve. We have been prosecuting serious injury and loss claims caused by negligent legal providers since 1983 and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Also, Advocates Law Firm LLC has earned the highest rating possible for both Legal Ability and Professional Ethics. To learn more about our Legal Malpractice Law Group, click here: Qualifications and Experience.