COVID-19 Resources For Lawyers

Various states have taken affirmative actions to ensure that business can continue to notarize documents in remote environments. What follows is a discussion of notarization requirements of the states in which The Bar Plan serves lawyers.

Should the current pandemic evolve into a global economic crisis, we will surely see some increase in the frequency and severity of professional malpractice suits. Understanding the potential causes of increased risk can help attorneys prepare for what may come next.

Even in times of disaster or emergency, managing and supervisory lawyers are required to make reasonable efforts to make certain that all attorneys and office staff also comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct while working remote.

Historically, during times of economic downturns, malpractice claims rise. When deciding upon policy limits for malpractice insurance, consider potential exposure, cost of defense, jurisdiction and the nature and extent of both business and personal assets.

Suing a non-paying client is likely to result in a default judgment against a judgment-proof client or a counterclaim against the suing attorney for legal malpractice. From a risk management perspective, it can be unwise for law firms to sue for unpaid legal fees.

Many videoconferencing options pose risks to the security of client confidential information. This article reviews the issues law firms should consider and the policies to implement to make videoconferences secure and effective.

“Of Counsel” has become a catch-all term applied across the profession to various types of relationships. This article defines “Of Counsel” and explains why attorneys are misguided when seeking to avoid rule violations by placing an “Of Counsel” label on a legal relationship.

This article addresses any of the risk management considerations including the division of fees, conflict checking, vicarious liability and malpractice coverage, office sharing concerns and more. Read on for practical tips and alternative solutions.

Technology advances and changes in the legal marketplace have caused firms to bring “Of Counsel” attorneys from other states to expand client bases beyond the reaches their own law licenses. This trend raises some ethics and malpractice issues.

Implementing a law firm business development strategy can seem daunting. This article includes 10 easy-to-implement tips to help your law firm continue to grow.

Now is a good a time to calendar a comprehensive review of your firm’s disaster recovery and lawyer succession planning. Missouri’s Rule 5.26 is a good place to start when drafting a succession plan for sole practitioners.

We are here to help you! Our Risk Management Department is available for free, confidential risk management guidance at 1-800-843-2277 x171 or foundation@thebarplan.com.