When an attorney passes the bar exam, they are licensed to practice law. There is no separate license or test for a lawyer to handle estate planning or criminal defense matters. However, certain areas of legal practice do allow for board-certified specialization....

Creative entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for new opportunities. There’s good money in matching the right business opportunity to the right business model—and talent. It pays to assemble a talented team, but you might want to think twice before making your...

When you hired an attorney to represent you, you likely assumed that they would fulfill their duties with honesty and integrity. Yet, you might have discovered that your attorney lied to you – or in the courtroom – at various points throughout your case. If your...

If an attorney’s substandard performance hurt your legal case and caused you real damage, you may have a malpractice claim. But having a claim isn’t the only factor you’ll want to consider when you decide whether to file. You’ll also want to consider the strength of...

Imagine your child makes a schoolyard bet and then decides not to pay up. What should you do? You might step in. If the bet was for a dollar or some other trivial amount, you could teach your child a lesson by making him or her pay. But if that schoolyard bet is for a...

If your attorney’s failures damage your case, you may consider filing a malpractice suit. The suit may offer you a chance to recover some of your damages, but there are two key considerations. The first is to make sure you can prove your attorney was truly negligent...

There are many ways an attorney’s negligence could harm a case and lead to a malpractice claim. One recent malpractice claim presents a truly remarkable situation. The case involves an inventor who hired an attorney to help him get a patent. According to the...

It’s never fun to have a business deal turn sour, but when your business is already suffering, you might be a bit more sensitive to the loss. Right? Odds are you would. And this is notable because such economic pressures are one of the factors that have led to a...

Big egos abound in the legal profession. No shortage of attorneys will claim to know everything there is to know about a subject. However, lawyers are not superheroes. They have their knowledge limitations. Most attorneys recognize this simple truth. Depending on the...

Lawyers are known for aggressive tactics. One might even say that “arguing” is in their job description. However, ethics are also a component of the legal profession. Overly aggressive or vindictive tactics can get you in serious trouble in California or anywhere...