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Avoiding Legal Malpractice Tip: Do Stuff Early

5/31/19

By: Greg Fayard

Missing deadlines is a common source of lawyer malpractice. A blown statute of limitations can be most problematic, as the malpractice case focuses on the value of the underlying case (damages). A missed deadline usually is caused by one of three reasons: 1) simply not knowing the deadline; 2) a calendaring failure; or 3) believing you know when something is due, but you’re wrong. Some deadlines are well-known, but many are not. Well-known deadlines under California law, where I practice, include the five-year timeframe to bring a case to trial, or two years to bring a negligence claim. Other deadlines are less well-known, like the ten-year statute of repose to bring a claim for a latent construction defect, or whether transferring a case from Small Claims Court to the Superior Court is permissible after the limitations period for the Superior Court case has elapsed. (In California, it is not permissible. (Jellinek v. Superior Court (1991) 228 Cal.App.3d 652, 654).)
While waiting to the last minute to do something is of course better than forgetting a deadline, allowing the deadline to dictate when you do something puts the focus on the deadline as opposed to what may or may not be in the client’s best interests. So my legal malpractice avoidance tip is:  try to act before deadlines, not on them. That is—do stuff early.
 If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Greg Fayard at gfayard@fmglaw.com, or any other member of our Lawyers Professional Liability Practice Group, a list of which can be found at stage.fmglaw.com.