Supreme Court of California - Opinion Summaries

Lee v. Hanley

Civil Procedure, Criminal Law & Procedure, Injury & Tort Law, Legal Malpractice
In a case to determine whether an attorney's refusal to return a former client's money after the client terminated the representation was "a wrongful...

Cassel v. Superior Court

Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Evidence, Legal Malpractice, Civil Procedure, Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
In plaintiff's malpractice action against his attorneys, claiming that by bad advice, deception, and coercion, the attorneys, who has a conflict of...

AGUILAR v. LERNER

Attorney's Fees, Dispute Resolution & Arbitration, Legal Malpractice
Once a client files a malpractice lawsuit against his or her former attorney, the client waives any rights under the mandatory fee arbitration act....

ZAMOS v. STROUD

Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Injury & Tort Law, Legal Malpractice
An attorney may be held liable for malicious prosecution for continuing to prosecute a lawsuit discovered to lack probable cause.

VINER v. SWEET

Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Legal Malpractice
When alleged legal malpractice occurred in the performance of transactional work, the client must prove the causation element according to the "but...

FERGUSON v. LIEFF, CABRASER, HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP

Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Legal Malpractice, Remedies
Plaintiffs in a legal malpractice action may not recover as compensatory damages the punitive damages they allegedly lost due to the negligence of...

BECK v. WECHT

Attorney's Fees, Legal Malpractice
Co-counsel do not owe one another a fiduciary duty to conduct joint representation in a manner that does not diminish or eliminate the fees each...

MUSSER v. PROVENCHER

Insurance Law, Legal Malpractice
Public policy does not require the adoption of a blanket rule barring concurrent counsel or co-counsel from suing one another for indemnification of...

COSCIA v. MCKENNA & CUNEO

Legal Malpractice
An individual convicted of a criminal offense must obtain reversal of his or her conviction, or other exoneration by post-conviction relief, in order...