An unusual pair of amicus briefs filed separately by the State Bar of Georgia and its president argue that a 2011 ruling by the state Court of Appeals will have dire consequences for the practice of law if justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia uphold it.
The high court is considering whether clients suing their lawyers for malpractice may assign their claims to a third party to pursue. An appeals court panel said claims could be assigned, but the bar and its president maintain that the ruling turns contracts between lawyers and their clients into mere “widgets” to be bought and sold. A majority of states do not allow legal malpractice claims to be assigned, the bar said.
