Legal Malpractice

New York Legal Malpractice Lawyers

It is rare to find an attorney willing to file a lawsuit directly against another attorney or a powerful law firm. Perhaps understandably, most attorneys are reluctant to sue their colleagues. At Schwartz & Ponterio, PLLC, however, we have staked much of our careers on holding fellow lawyers responsible for their actions.

Schwartz & Ponterio, PLLC represents plaintiffs in legal malpractice litigation; that is, we only help people who have been victimized by the errors and misdeeds of their former lawyers. Our practice extends throughout the New York City Metropolitan area, including the Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Westchester County.

Our attorneys have handled hundreds of legal malpractice cases, involving issues of:

• Missed Deadlines: missed statutes of limitations, missed court-ordered deadlines, failure to file notices of claim, missed opportunity to obtain discovery, etc.
• Unresponsive or Incompetent Attorneys: failure to perform due diligence, failure to conduct adequate discovery, failure to comply with procedural rules, etc.
• Ethical Violations: conflicts of interest, violations of fiduciary obligations, fee disputes, acting without client's consent, etc.
• Real Estate Malpractice: failures to identify liens, failure to uncover environmental contamination, failure to disclose conditions that result in liability or that negatively effect property values.
• Legal Malpractice in Personal Injury Cases: failure to sue the correct parties, failure to perform due diligence in interviewing important witnesses, failure to collect or analyze evidence, failure to oppose dismissal, failure to prepare adequately for trial, etc.
• Legal Malpractice in Divorce Cases: failure to uncover hidden martial assets, failure to petition the court for temporary spousal and/or child support, or failure to comply with mandatory fee schedules.
• Statute of Limitations for Legal Malpractice Claims: In general, legal malpractice claims are governed by a three-year Statute of Limitations. The time generally begins to run from the moment legal malpractice occurs, however, there are exceptions, and possible extensions of time, where the attorney conceals the malpractice or continues to represent the client in the same matter in which the malpractice occurred. The computation of the Statute of Limitations can be complicated by a number of different factors. We can evaluate your case and determine if you have grounds to sue and whether or not the Statute of Limitations has expired.

Of course, most cases we handle involve multiple issues in several of these categories. For example, an attorney whose incompetence causes a case to be dismissed will often conceal the error from the client.

We Understand Your Frustration

People come to us with tremendous frustration caused by their former lawyers. They wonder how they can get justice within the very legal system that seems to be stacked against them. Some people go as far as to believe that their former lawyers were somehow in cahoots with the other side, that there was a payoff, or that their lawyer took a dive.

We have never, in all our years of experience, seen a case in which this was true. The truth is invariably that the attorneys were negligent and failed in their duty to provide competent representation.

Initially, our clients are often wary about trusting another lawyer, and we work honestly and assiduously to earn their trust. We dedicate our entire law firm to helping people through their cases and getting them the restitution they deserve.

Contact Our Legal Malpractice and Criminal Defense Attorneys

Contact Schwartz & Ponterio, PLLC to set up a consultation. Call 212.714.1200 during business hours and 917.562.9581 at night to speak with an attorney experienced in the field of legal malpractice.

Schwartz & Ponterio, PLLC welcomes attorney referrals for legal malpractice matters.