Lawyer v. Lawyer: A New Litigation Specialty

A Texas law firm lost its defense against a lawyer whom it hired. The plaintiff worked for another law firm and was lured away based on alleged representations of the future of the firm and the collegiality of its founding partners.

In today’s economic turmoil with an increase in lateral movement, does this mean there will be an increase in litigation from dissatisfied lawyers claiming negligent misrepresentation when their compensation is less than desired?

As my mother used to say, be careful what you sow – it impacts what you reap. If you encourage a lateral move and it produces less than outstanding results for all concerned, can you expect to be sued? And, depending on how you do entice the move, are you at risk of being sued by the first law firm for interference with contractual relations?

We may be encouraging a new specialty in the law … lawyers who sue law firms for something other than legal malpractice!

Categorized in: Management