Ideally, if you hire a lawyer, they should not have any conflicts of interest. These are factors that may call their legal capabilities into question because they will have a direct personal interest in something that may not be in your best interests. Your legal team should always put you first, and it could be an example of malpractice if they do not.
But what is a conflict of interest? It can take many different forms. Let’s take a look at two examples below.
Representing other clients
First and foremost, an attorney should not take two client cases in which clients would have interests that worked against one another. If your attorney is also working for your competition, how can you know that they are giving you the best possible legal representation? The same attorney won’t represent both drivers after a car accident, for instance.
Outside connections
But a conflict of interest doesn’t always mean that the lawyer is involved in another legal case. There could be some outside connections that influence their decisions.
For example, say that you get injured in a store and you sue, thinking that you should easily get compensation for your injuries. You end up losing the case, and then you find out that your lawyer has extended family members who own the store. They may not work there themselves, but your lawyer certainly knows the owner and has those family connections. If that wasn’t true, would you have gotten the compensation that you deserved?
When you feel that you have been victimized by legal malpractice, it is time to look carefully into all of the options at your disposal.