An Attorney Stealing From Clients

Louisville lawyer Hans Poppe reports today on a Louisville lawyer that has been accused of stealing from his clients.  Most notably, a $1 million estate seems to have disappeared.  Unfortunately, Mr. Poppe appears to think the case may be an example of what we consider the #1 rule of legal malpractice cases:  the attorney’s culpability is inversely related to his or her ability to pay a judgment.  There are exceptions to this, of course, but as long as bar associations don’t require attorneys to either (1) carry malpractice insurance or (2) disclose to clients that they don’t carry insurance, then unwitting consumers will always be faced with the prospect that they’ll be stuck when they are the victims of legal malpractice.

I know some lawyers disagree, but I strongly believe that lawyers have an obligation to their clients to carry malpractice insurance in case the lawyer makes an error.