Professional Liability Matters

April 30, 2018 Ethics / Risk Management

Lawyers Must Admit Mistakes

No one is perfect. In the adversarial arena of litigation, attorneys are rarely willing to admit even having a weak legal argument, let alone an actual error. However, the American Bar Association recently issued an opinion which makes it an ethical duty for attorneys to disclose any material errors in representation to their clients.

The use of “material” in this opinion allows for a sliding spectrum which the ABA provides some general guidance in defining. A material error is defined as one that a “disinterested …

April 23, 2018 Employment Practices Liability

The Equal Pay Act & Salary History

Show of hands: who’d like to receive less pay for performing the same functions as your colleagues? The Equal Pay Act seeks to combat this issue and permits wage disparity only in the most limited of circumstances. In a recent federal decision, the court addressed whether an employer’s computation of salary based on a strict formula violated the Act when it resulted in disparate payment of female and male employees.

In Rizo v. Yovino, the Ninth Circuit addressed whether an employer could rely on …

April 9, 2018 Legal Malpractice

Malpractice from Litigation Funding?

Third-party litigation funding is still in its relative infancy and yet it has blossomed into a massive industry. Litigation funding spans from payday-like loans for personal injury litigation to multi-million dollar intellectual property disputes. Many attorneys across the spectrum have commented on the issues that could arise from this new market, but malpractice lawsuits in connection with the funding itself are extremely rare. However, a recent suit filed in the United Kingdom could be a sign of things to come for those firms who are …

April 2, 2018 Employment Practices Liability

Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation

It’s been said that the first step toward success is showing up. But is that always required in the workplace? More to the point, is physical presence an essential function of an employee’s job? Sometimes. In a recent decision, the Sixth Circuit addressed whether physical presence was an essential job function for an in-house legal counsel employee.

In the decision, found here, the employee – an in-house attorney – was denied a request to work from home for ten weeks while she was on …

March 26, 2018 Risk Management

New Law in PA: Quantum Meruit for Predecessor Counsel

In a recent decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court brought the commonwealth into line with the majority of states in allowing predecessor law firms to bring quantum meruit claims against substituted counsel. In the underlying case, the plaintiff’s claim was originally brought by an attorney at Firm A who then left for Firm B. While the plaintiff initially allowed Firm A to remain as co-counsel, the firm was eventually dismissed and the case settled. Firm A then sued Firm B to recoup a portion of …

March 19, 2018 Employment Practices Liability

Obesity and The ADA

Is obesity a disability? No. Well, can obesity lead to an ADA-defined disability? That’s where things get tricky. In Ronald Shell v. BNSF Railway Co., a federal court in Illinois addressed these questions and others when a prospective employer denied employment due to its belief that the would-be employee could develop a disability resulting from his obesity.

Mr. Shell applied to work as an equipment operator position that was deemed safety-sensitive because it involves using heavy equipment. Shell had years of experience working in …

March 9, 2018 Employment Practices Liability

What Does Daylight Saving Mean to Employers

At 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 11, 2018, people across the United States will set their clocks forward one hour to begin Daylight Saving Time (DST). The change is intended to align the average workday more closely with the hours that the sun is visible, which studies have shown to cut energy consumption, reduce instances of seasonal affective disorder, and even boost regional economies. Often perceived as a holdover from a simpler and more agrarian U.S. culture, the practice actually enamors some contemporary lawmakers: the …

March 5, 2018 Advertising / Ethics

Court Castigates the Solicit-Then-Refer Model

Attorneys referring cases amongst each other is as old as the practice itself, with referral fees embedded in state and model ethical rules. Whether a conflict exists or the attorney who receives the case is not adept at handling that type of matter, a referral can be a way for attorneys to be rewarded for successful marketing while ensuring proper client representation. However, when a firm appears to focus solely on marketing, and not on the legal matters advertised, significant ethical concerns arise.

The issue …

February 26, 2018 Privileges

A-C Privilege Not Extended to Third Parties

It’s generally known that communications between attorney and client are privileged absent waiver. Often, the client may waive the privilege by sharing an otherwise confidential communication with a third-party. But what if the third-party was engaged by counsel? Parties to a transaction rely on multiple outside professionals to advise on legal and business matters. In such cases, otherwise confidential communications are sometimes shared by counsel with third-party consultants hired to assist with the matter. However, the mere fact that a third-party consultant was engaged to …

February 16, 2018 Coverage

Alleged Crimes Are Not Covered, Right?

For most professionals, renewing your policy is a matter of fact that includes little thought beyond answering a questionnaire. However, it is incumbent upon both insurers and policyholders to regularly review policy language to determine what is, is not, or only may be covered. For example, there is often an assumption that most policies will not cover certain criminal or intentional acts, but that is not always the case. For example, in a recent New Jersey District Court decision, the court found that an insurer …