Although lawyers pursue claims and file lawsuits, they do not want to be the subject of claims and lawsuits. Yet malpractice claims happen, and they are not going away. To the contrary, recent studies confirm that malpractice claims rates remain steady but that the payouts are increasing. As payouts increase, so likely do the premiums we all pay.

In this column, I will examine the results and conclusions from one study and then offer 17 practical tips for avoiding legal malpractice claims. The study is the “LPLI 2022 Claims Survey: Malpractice Claim Severity Hits All-Time High as Law Firms Face Rapid Change” by Ames & Gough. The study surveyed 11 insurers that write professional liability insurance policies for lawyers. The companies insure approximately 80% of the AM Law 100 firms.