Professional Indemnity Special Report 2015: The Blame Game

With more clients inclined to bring negligence claims against their legal advisers, lawyers need to ensure that the terms on which they accept instructions are made clear at the outset.

Law firms are increasingly at risk of being sued by clients for negligence. The fact that clients do not view lawyers in the deferential manner they perhaps once did is cited as one of the reasons for this trend, as is the perception that law firms, particularly the major players, receive massive fees for the service they provide. Accurate or not, views such as these are fuelling clients' desire to seek recompense from their legal advisers when deals or disputes turn sour. In such a climate, the onus is on law firms to ensure they take the correct steps to minimise this risk.