At Hawkes Law Firm, in Shoreline, Washington, our lawyers help clients after legal malpractice negatively affected their lives and futures. Our attorneys pay careful attention to these cases, as we believe that the legal community must police itself to maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
Professional Rules of Conduct for Attorneys
Attorneys in the state of Washington are required to adhere to the Rules of Professional Conduct established by the Washington State Bar Association. Lawyers governed by these rules are required to behave properly or be disciplined. Among the many requirements are the following:
- Maintain confidentiality of clients information
- Undertake due diligence on behalf of clients
- Safeguard client property and keep meticulous records of their trust accounts
- Maintain required records
- Protect clients with diminished capacity
- Communicate promptly with clients about developments in their matters or decisions that they need to make
- Provide documents or information by the filing date
- Take action to avoid conflicts of interest
- Apply safeguards and checks when personal matters may affect the lawyer’s ability to provide effective representation
Attorneys who fail to adhere to these rules of conduct and other rules not listed here may be subject to disciplinary hearings and possible loss of their law licenses as well as paying damages to injured clients.
Our law firm has provided expert witnesses in legal malpractice matters in part because of our reputation for representing our clients effectively while adhering to the highest standards of professional conduct.
Issues in Legal Malpractice Cases
Our lawyers make sure that clients understand the standards of skill, care, diligence and knowledge used to determine legal malpractice. We advise clients about the statute of limitations that applies in legal malpractice cases and appeals. Our cases involve questions about the use of experts, court appearances, meeting deadlines, fees, communication and theft of client funds.
We seek compensation for clients who have been damaged by the negligence or misconduct of an attorney. For information about filing a legal malpractice suit against your previous lawyer, contact our Shoreline law firm by calling 206-367-5000. We offer free initial consultations to legal malpractice clients and in most cases charge no attorney’s fee until we recover compensation.
