Hiring an attorney is an act of trust. You share your most sensitive information, rely on their judgment at critical moments, and expect them to fight for your interests with competence and integrity. When that trust is violated, through negligence or outright misconduct, the consequences can be devastating.
At King & Jones, we represent clients harmed by their attorneys. Our trial lawyers have spent decades litigating complex cases. If you need a Chicago legal malpractice attorney, we start by learning what happened and what it cost you. We understand, from the inside, what competent legal representation looks like, where it breaks down, and how to prove it when it does. We hold attorneys and law firms accountable when their failures fall below the professional standards their clients had every right to expect.
Worried a former lawyer let you down? Ask us to review what happened.
Claims Our Legal Malpractice Attorneys Handle
King & Jones handles legal malpractice claims arising from a wide range of attorney failures, including:
- Missed deadlines and statutes of limitations: failing to file within the required time, resulting in case dismissal or the loss of legal rights
- Failure to know or apply the law: providing incorrect legal advice or failing to identify controlling authority that would have changed the outcome
- Inadequate investigation and case preparation: failing to gather evidence, depose key witnesses, or retain necessary experts
- Conflicts of interest: representing parties with competing interests, or allowing a personal or financial relationship to compromise the attorney’s loyalty
- Breach of fiduciary duty: failing to act in the client’s best interests, including mishandling settlement authority or making decisions without informed client consent
- Mishandling of client funds: commingling funds, misappropriating settlement proceeds, or failing to account properly for money held in trust
- Failure to communicate: leaving clients uninformed about critical developments, deadlines, or settlement offers that required their input
- Unethical conduct and fraud: deliberate misconduct, fabrication, or misrepresentation by an attorney that caused direct harm
How a Legal Malpractice Claim Works
Legal malpractice occurs when an attorney breaches their duty of care to a client and that breach causes measurable harm. Legal malpractice cases frequently require litigating a “case within a case,” proving not only that your attorney was negligent, but that you would have prevailed in the underlying matter had they done their job correctly.
When you hire our Chicago legal malpractice law firm, we rebuild both cases from the documents. Our guide to the basics of a malpractice claim covers each element.
The Legal Malpractice Lawyers Who Review Your Claim
A legal malpractice claim asks whether another lawyer’s work met the professional standard, so the background of the people reviewing your file matters.
William H. Jones clerked for a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court before he joined the firm. Jeff Mathis clerked in the Cook County Chancery Division before he joined the firm.
Before law school, Paul King earned his CPA license and worked as a financial and compliance analyst at a major bank. Peter King has taken business disputes to trial in front of juries, judges and arbitration panels around the country.
We keep our caseload selective so each matter gets close attention, regular updates and honest advice. You can read what clients and colleagues say about the firm on our testimonials page.
Think a lawyer’s mistake cost you? Contact our team.
Illinois Damages Rules in Legal Malpractice Cases
In most cases, Illinois law bars punitive damages in legal malpractice cases. Section 2-1115 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/2-1115) says that no punitive, exemplary, vindictive, or aggravated damages may be awarded when a plaintiff seeks damages because of legal malpractice. The ban applies whether the claim is brought in tort, contract, or “otherwise.”
Relabeling the case as a contract, fiduciary duty or fraud claim does not avoid that bar. A fraud allegation can even trigger insurance exclusions that make recovery harder.
That does not mean you are without a remedy. If a lawyer’s negligence harmed you, money for the actual losses you can prove, known as compensatory damages, remains available.
Our Chicago legal malpractice attorneys handle these claims for clients in Chicago and throughout Cook County and DuPage County.
Our Chicago Office
King & Jones
70 W Madison Street
Suite 3970
Chicago, Illinois 60602
Built for Case-Within-a-Case Litigation
King & Jones is built for exactly this kind of litigation. Our legal malpractice lawyers have the courtroom experience to try complex cases, the legal knowledge to evaluate what competent representation looks like across multiple practice areas, and the investigative capability to reconstruct what went wrong and why.
Not every dissatisfied client has a valid malpractice claim, and we provide experienced, rigorous defense for attorneys and firms facing allegations that don’t hold up under scrutiny. For defendants, we scrutinize whether the alleged conduct actually fell below the professional standard, whether causation can be established, and whether the claimed damages are legally supportable.
Tell a legal malpractice lawyer on our team what went wrong through the contact button below for a consultation.
Questions for a Chicago Legal Malpractice Lawyer
Does a good-faith error in judgment always bar a malpractice claim in Illinois?
No. A good-faith error in judgment may bar a claim when it reflects reasonable decision-making, particularly where law was unsettled or the choice was tactical, but it offers no protection when the attorney failed to exercise reasonable care. The outcome depends on whether conduct met professional standards.
Is a bad result enough to show attorney negligence in Illinois?
No. An unfavorable verdict on its own says little about the quality of the work behind it. Illinois authority holds that bad results are not evidence of negligence by themselves. To prove it, you generally need expert testimony showing that the lawyer’s work fell short of what comparable practitioners would have done.
How long do I have to file a malpractice claim in Illinois?
Attorney malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years of when you knew or reasonably should have known of the injury, and in no event more than six years after the act or omission under the statute of repose. Because these deadlines are construed narrowly, prompt evaluation is important.
Is an ARDC complaint the same as a malpractice lawsuit?
No. A disciplinary complaint addresses ethics violations and may lead to professional sanctions, while a civil malpractice claim seeks monetary compensation for negligence. Conduct that violates ethics rules does not automatically establish civil liability. The deadlines in 735 ILCS 5/13-214.3 run regardless of any disciplinary filing.