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ASK A LAWYER: What happens when you hire a lawyer and everything goes wrong?

Timothy N Sullivan Ottawa lawyer answers questions

The series of checks and balances that help to protect clients

With the news so often carrying stories of lawyers involved in scandals, it’s hard not to worry that you’ll choose a lawyer only to be disappointed or blindsided by their behaviour or work.

It’s important to keep in mind that the vast majority of lawyers are decent people who are trying to do their best for their clients – the news doesn’t report on all the cases worked on by lawyers which go smoothly and without incident. More importantly, the legal system in Ontario protects clients in a number of ways.  Here are some of them.

Errors and omissions insurance

Lawyers in Ontario are required to have errors and omissions insurance.  If a lawyer acts in a way that causes damage to a case through negligence, the lawyer is insured and the client can rely on some indemnification, or the insurance may pay to try to have the court correct an error if it is not too late.

Other remedies

If a case which is brought to a lawyer does not proceed as expected, there may be remedies from a number of sources.  For instance, if a motions judge or a trial judge makes a decision that is wrong in law or should have been decided another way, an appeal may be available to correct the mistake (depending on the reasons for the mistake).

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This blog is provided for educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific legal advice. This blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional lawyer in your province.  Â