As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, law firms are adjusting to changing circumstances and client expectations. However, it remains unknown how the pandemic will impact claims against attorneys going forward. Will there be a surge of legal malpractice claims as clients experience economic pressure? Will there be claims specifically relating to how attorneys navigated their clients’ responses to COVID-19?

In the face of the unknown, it can be helpful to ground any risk assessment in quantified data. One such source is insurance broker Ames & Gough, which recently released the results of its 10th annual survey of lawyer’s professional liability claims. The report summarizes the legal malpractice claims reviewed or insured by 10 leading lawyer’s professional liability insurers in 2019. Collectively, these insurers cover about 80% of the Am Law 100 firms.