English philosopher and jurist, Jeremy Bentham, is credited as having said, “Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is not punished.” Sorry, Mr. Bentham, lawyers are, indeed, punished for their ignorance of the law and for every other conceivable error or oversight. Such “punishment” is administered in the form of legal malpractice actions and those most at risk for such actions are litigation attorneys.
According to the most recent survey of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Professional Liability, personal injury litigation, alone, accounts for more than 20 percent of all legal malpractice claims brought in the United States. Being most at risk to malpractice claims, it is imperative for litigation attorneys to incorporate certain essential risk management techniques into their practices.
