Rejecting arguments that it is a violation of Pennsylvania’s Rules of Professional Conduct to include an arbitration clause in a law firm’s retainer agreements, a state appellate court has sent a legal malpractice suit against Ballard Spahr to arbitration.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court on Monday ruled 2-1 in Mackin Medical v. Lindquist & Vennum, which is a legal malpractice case brought against the former firm Lindquist & Vennum, which merged with Ballard Spahr in 2017. The nonprecedential decision reversed a ruling by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, which had determined the case could not proceed to arbitration.