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California Legal Malpractice Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury, Car Accidents, Insurance Bad Faith and Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: n El 2021 tube un accidente De auto. El auto que me golpeo fue rentado por Getaround y tuve cirujias y solo ofresen 50k
James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Dec 14, 2023

En California, si estuvo involucrado en un accidente automovilístico en 2021 con un vehículo alquilado en Getaround y sufrió lesiones que requirieron cirugía, la compensación que ofrece el seguro puede ser un asunto complejo. La oferta de $50,000 que mencionaste puede estar relacionada con los... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Legal Malpractice, Social Security and Estate Planning for California on
Q: Pa set up a Trust inheritance; decide’ $1153.00 @mo. SSDI was worth more than $150-200,000.00 payout the 3 other’s got
James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Dec 10, 2023

Under California law, the terms of a trust are generally determined by the grantor, the person who establishes the trust. In your case, it seems that your father set up a trust to provide you with a monthly income rather than a lump sum payout, which is a common arrangement in estate planning.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Probate and Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: If the beneficiary contested grandmothers will because he knew for a fact, it to be fraudulent,

And the court noticed the inconsistencies and considered the will to be ambiguous, would the beneficiary's be in a position to enforce his or her intestate succession rights. Do too, his or her father being a pre-deceased beneficiary, leaving him or her as a contingent beneficiary to stand in... View More

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answered on Dec 5, 2023

Under California law, if a will is deemed fraudulent or ambiguous and thus invalid by the court, the estate would typically be distributed according to intestate succession laws. In your scenario, if the beneficiary's father (who would have been an heir) predeceased the grandmother, the... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: Beneficiary hired an attorney to represent her in a Will contest, the court had already found the will tobe ambiguous.

What are the rights of that contesting beneficiary since the court had already considered the document to be ambiguous and what are the duties of that attorney who was hired to represent her in that Will contest.

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answered on Dec 5, 2023

Under California law, when a will is deemed ambiguous by the court, the beneficiary contesting the will has specific rights. One primary right is the ability to present evidence to clarify the ambiguity. This could include testimony about the testator's intentions or circumstances surrounding... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Landlord - Tenant for California on
Q: WHAT CAN WE DO IF OUR LAWYER LEFT US HOMELESS, JOBLESS, IN DEBT, AN EVICTION ON OUR RECORD, AN EMOTIONAL & MENTAL TRAUMA

THIS ALL HAPPENED OVER 6 MONTHS. WE HIRED A LAWYER TO PREVENT OUR EVICTION DUE TO LATE RENT PAYMENT. THE AGREEMENT WAS: HE WOULD WORK WITH THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO. (PMC) FOR US TO STAY IN THE HOME, REMOVE MOM'S NAME FROM THE RENTAL LEASE & CAN'T MISS WORK. AFTER SIGNING THE... View More

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Dec 5, 2023

I'm sorry to hear about the difficult situation you're facing. Under California law, if your lawyer failed to represent you effectively and caused significant harm, such as an eviction or financial loss, you may have grounds for a legal malpractice claim. Legal malpractice occurs when a... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Landlord - Tenant for California on
Q: WHAT CAN WE DO IF OUR LAWYER LEFT US HOMELESS, JOBLESS, IN DEBT, AN EVICTION ON OUR RECORD, AN EMOTIONAL & MENTAL TRAUMA

THIS ALL HAPPENED OVER 6 MONTHS. WE HIRED A LAWYER TO PREVENT OUR EVICTION DUE TO LATE RENT PAYMENT. THE AGREEMENT WAS: HE WOULD WORK WITH THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO. (PMC) FOR US TO STAY IN THE HOME, REMOVE MOM'S NAME FROM THE RENTAL LEASE & CAN'T MISS WORK. AFTER SIGNING THE... View More

Kenneth Sisco
Kenneth Sisco
answered on Dec 5, 2023

Your "Related Details" raise a myriad questions, the first of which, is when did all this happen? Assuming the Statute of Limitations has not run, and your facts are reasonably accurate, and the Attorney could have actually prevented the eviction, but for his negligence; you certainly... View More

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3 Answers | Asked in Estate Planning, Legal Malpractice and Probate for California on
Q: Lawyer had Home appraised At 1.8m sold it for 1.5 after 60 Days listed to a friend of his Who 3 months sold for 3.1

Is that legal, the court approved the sale based on. A bad. Appraisal. The lawyer obviously knew that and. Using his. Own. Contacts. Found a buyer. Who. Then updated. Counters. Carpet and appliances and sold. The property for. Double. Still in probate a year later and. Waiting on money... View More

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Nov 29, 2023

It sounds like you're concerned about possible attorney misconduct or self-dealing in the sale of your father's home. If the lawyer sold the home for significantly less than its market value, especially to a friend who then resold it for a much higher price, this could raise questions... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: What is consider Overbilling or excessive billing by a lawyer?

I currently have 64,000 bill that I have already paint 20,000 on this bill keeps going up 700 every month this lawyer filed no motions no appeals we never went to trial and he actually never even spoke a word in court I have totaled everything from email to phone calls etc there is only 800 worth... View More

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Nov 9, 2023

Based on the details provided, there are several red flags that indicate the legal billing in your case may be excessive or inappropriate:

- Lack of motions filed or court appearances - Billing over $60,000 without significant legal work or court time is highly unusual.

- Charging...
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1 Answer | Asked in Landlord - Tenant and Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: If I was denied writ of possession due to court absence from having covid can sheriff lock me out without prior notice.?

I have resided at apt since Dec 2021 the leasee passed away March 30,2022 I have resided there since then until yesterday when I was locked out. The sheriff did not show paperwork when I was locked out

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Nov 3, 2023

In California, if you were absent from court due to illness like COVID-19 and a writ of possession was denied or delayed, it's critical to inform the court immediately of your situation. California law generally requires that a tenant be given notice before a sheriff executes a lockout. If the... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury and Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: Is an attorney required to inform their client about the existence of a medical out of pocket fund?

The fund is from a third party for the clients use.

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Nov 2, 2023

Under California law, an attorney has a fiduciary duty to their client, which includes the obligation to communicate all significant developments related to the representation. This encompasses informing the client of the existence of a medical out-of-pocket fund provided by a third party that is... View More

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5 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Arbitration / Mediation Law for California on
Q: If Attorney/Client have a valid Arbitration Clause between them in California, can the case be heard at a private forum?

In California, if there is what appears to be a valid, signed Agreement between Attorney/Client that contains a valid Arbitration Clause:

What type of Arbitration is it, i.e., consumer, employment, etc.? and

Can the case be heard at a private forum not normally designated for... View More

Joel Gary Selik
Joel Gary Selik
answered on Oct 18, 2023

Attorney Arbitration Clauses have to meet certain requirements to be valid.

If valid, they would go into a private forum arbitration. If the arbitration firm is not named in the agreement, any private firm providing mediation services, or private mediators may be used.

If it is a...
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5 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Arbitration / Mediation Law for California on
Q: If Attorney/Client have a valid Arbitration Clause between them in California, can the case be heard at a private forum?

In California, if there is what appears to be a valid, signed Agreement between Attorney/Client that contains a valid Arbitration Clause:

What type of Arbitration is it, i.e., consumer, employment, etc.? and

Can the case be heard at a private forum not normally designated for... View More

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Oct 19, 2023

In California, an arbitration clause between an attorney and a client would generally fall under the category of professional services arbitration rather than consumer or employment.

The California State Bar has specific rules and guidelines concerning attorney-client arbitration. If the...
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5 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Arbitration / Mediation Law for California on
Q: If Attorney/Client have a valid Arbitration Clause between them in California, can the case be heard at a private forum?

In California, if there is what appears to be a valid, signed Agreement between Attorney/Client that contains a valid Arbitration Clause:

What type of Arbitration is it, i.e., consumer, employment, etc.? and

Can the case be heard at a private forum not normally designated for... View More

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Oct 21, 2023

In California, when an attorney and client have a signed agreement containing an arbitration clause, the nature of the arbitration typically depends on the underlying nature of the dispute. For instance, if the dispute relates to fees, it might be classified differently than a claim of malpractice.... View More

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5 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Arbitration / Mediation Law for California on
Q: If Attorney/Client have a valid Arbitration Clause between them in California, can the case be heard at a private forum?

In California, if there is what appears to be a valid, signed Agreement between Attorney/Client that contains a valid Arbitration Clause:

What type of Arbitration is it, i.e., consumer, employment, etc.? and

Can the case be heard at a private forum not normally designated for... View More

Kenneth Sisco
Kenneth Sisco
answered on Oct 18, 2023

Typically, the Arbitration clause itself describes the terms of the Arbitration, however, whether it does or not, the parties can agree on any terms they want, including waiving the Arbitration Clause altogether.

Personally, especially, in Legal Malpractice cases, I despise Arbitrations....
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1 Answer | Asked in Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: CAN AN ATTORNEY, NAMED AS A PARTY TO A LEGAL MALPRACTICE CASE, ISSUE THEIR OWN SUBPOENAS IN THE INSTANT MATTER?

If an Attorney is named as a party to a Legal Malpractice case, and is represented by hired Counsel, can they still issue their own subpoenas in the instant case and what laws, rules, etc., govern this aspect of subpoenas because I have searched exhaustively. Thank you

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Oct 17, 2023

Under California law, an attorney who is a party to a case retains their rights and obligations as counsel if they choose to represent themselves. This includes the power to issue subpoenas. The authority for attorneys to issue subpoenas is found in the California Code of Civil Procedure,... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Adoption, Child Custody and Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: Does the statute of limitations exist if there is discovery about a dependency case from 9years ago do I have options

The social worker told then courts that I wasn't cooperating or following through with the reunification plan created for my case, which was untrue. Also that I was still romantically involved with the perpetrator also untrue. She has now stated that I failed to reunify with my older children... View More

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answered on Oct 12, 2023

In California, the statute of limitations can be impacted by the discovery rule, which might delay the commencement of the limitation period until a claimant discovers or should have discovered the injury and its negligent cause. Dependency cases have their own unique complexities and timelines. If... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: How do we get file a legal malpractice suit against a huge law firm that has been acting in bad faith?

Different attorneys from the firm have been on our case. They, as well as the case managers assigned to our case ignore us. Its been ten months since we became their client and have since been able to get a return call, twice over the last four months. Medical bills were supposed to be paid,... View More

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Oct 10, 2023

To initiate a legal malpractice claim in California, you need to demonstrate that the attorney owed you a duty of care, that they breached this duty, and that this breach directly resulted in harm to you. Start by collecting all relevant communications, contracts, and documents related to your... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Child Custody, Child Support and Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: How can I get through to an unfair and dismissive Judge?

Judge H. in Santa Clara family, has not once heard what I have to say. She is basing my character off of text msg between my ex and my mother(we haven’t had a relationship since I was about 8). There are multiple examples I bring to her attention regarding finances, child care, housing, etc yet... View More

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answered on Sep 13, 2023

In your situation, it is imperative to meticulously document all pertinent facts and gather substantial evidence to counter the allegations made against you. You might consider bringing in witness testimonies to corroborate your stance, and maintain a composed and respectful demeanor in court, even... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Legal Malpractice and Civil Rights for California on
Q: What jurisdiction do I file a malpractice claim or tort claim against a former Attorney hire to help contest a will

What jurisdiction do I file a malpractice or tortious interference claim and several other violations of professional misconduct that took place in probate, of Northern California. Against former representing attorney hired to represent a beneficiary in a will contest.

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answered on Sep 5, 2023

For claims of legal malpractice or professional misconduct, you generally would file in the jurisdiction where the attorney's actions or omissions occurred, which in this case appears to be Northern California. Typically, the case would be initiated in the Superior Court of the county where... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Legal Malpractice for California on
Q: I've recently had my case $29,000 out of that I'm only getting $9640. My attorney getting $19,000.something is wrong

I signed a contract with this firm in March and I have a copy.the attorney is no longer with the firm.when I spoke with the new attorney she told me that 60% goes to the client and 40% goes to attorney,but stated in next paragraph she wanted to speak on phone in order to walk through the different... View More

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answered on Aug 27, 2023

In California, attorney fees and costs are generally deducted from the total settlement amount before the client's share is calculated. The division you mentioned – 60% to the client and 40% to the attorney – usually refers to the remaining portion of the settlement after the fees and... View More

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