Being a defendant to a legal-malpractice lawsuit can be overwhelming. Even though lawyers routinely are involved in legal disputes on behalf of clients, it can feel very personal when a former client alleges that their lawyer committed an error or breach.

Lawyers receiving a malpractice claim might want to respond to the complaint aggressively and immediately, but in doing so they may prove the adage about the lawyer who represents themselves. In truth, legal-malpractice lawsuits are unlike other types of claims and have unique defenses that, if not known to the defendant, can be waived or unused.