According to the American Bar Association, attorneys in private practice have between a 4 and 17 percent chance of being sued for malpractice each year. (ABA’s Lawyer’s Desk Guide to Preventing Legal Malpractice 62 (2d ed. 1999).) Over the course of a career, these risks mount.
In 1950 attorneys entering the profession had approximately a 2 percent chance of being sued by a client. For attorneys entering the profession in 2000, it is closer to a 95 percent chance of receiving either a legal malpractice claim or bar grievance.
