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The Art of Law

Every endeavor
has its own art, whether it’s hitting
a baseball, writing
a symphony,
or handling a lawsuit. In the
legal arena there’s an art to envisioning solutions where others see problems. It has
to do with understanding how to resolve matters in a way that benefits each client. It has to do with the art of helping clients contain problems and expand opportunities.

Carrington Coleman has long been recognized as a “lawyers’ law firm.”  Carrington Coleman is well known for its superior representation of, and advice to, law firms and lawyers, as well as other professionals such as accountants, architects and engineers, physicians and hospitals, insurance professionals, and corporate officers and directors.  For lawyers and law firms alone, Carrington Coleman has handled over 350 matters of all types for over 130 lawyers and law firms.

We have defended law firms – from the local to the international – against a multitude of claims, including malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, conflicts of interest, conspiracy, deceptive trade practices, breach of contract, conversion, and fraud, arising out of a wide range of substantive practice areas, including bankruptcy, estate planning, medical malpractice, civil litigation, business transactions, and settlement advice.  We have represented our clients in Texas’ highest court, making new law on important malpractice issues, such as the Texas Supreme Court case in which it affirmed summary judgment on behalf of our law-firm client and held for the first time that public policy prohibited an individual who had pleaded guilty and who had not been exonerated of a crime from suing defense counsel for malpractice. 

In addition, we are often engaged by law firms and lawyers as consultants to help them avoid litigation altogether, by advising them at the threshold of potential disputes with their clients on ways to deal with possible conflicts, possible client claims of negligence, and other issues. We also have represented numerous lawyers and law firms in non-malpractice contexts, including sanctions motions, disqualification proceedings, employment-related claims, fair debt collection claims, and business disputes.

Our clients’ recent victories and cases of note include:

  • Currently representing a large international law firm before the Texas Supreme Court in a high-profile case involving novel and important issues of Texas legal malpractice law.
  •  Summary judgment granted by the bankruptcy court (and affirmed on appeal to the district court) on behalf of a large international law firm in a case involving alleged malpractice in connection with out-of-court restructuring negotiations and bankruptcy. The damages sought by plaintiffs were in excess of $54 million.
  •  Dismissal of two attorneys in federal lawsuit alleging RICO violations, fraud, and other causes of action arising out of an alleged conspiracy between certain lawyers and chiropractors to defraud the plaintiff insurance company in connection with personal injury claims. 
  •  Obtained take-nothing jury verdict in favor of large Texas firm in case involving alleged malpractice, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud arising out of a contingency fee case against an area car dealership. The jury not only found for the defendant firm on the malpractice claims, but also found that the attorneys’ fees sought by the defendant firm were fair and reasonable. The case is on appeal, which the firm is also handling. 
  •  Summary judgment granted and affirmed on appeal in case against a large Dallas law firm on the grounds that plaintiffs failed to provide any admissible evidence that they were injured as a result of the law firm’s conduct. Plaintiffs sought damages in excess of $9 million.
  •  Putative class action against law firm based on Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (related to real property foreclosure) dismissed on 12(b)(6) motion.
  •  Summary judgment granted and affirmed on appeal on behalf of a Texas law firm in a case arising out of the firm’s representation of a debtor in bankruptcy proceedings. Plaintiffs sought damages in excess of $40 million. Plaintiffs’ attempt to overturn the state-court ruling in bankruptcy court failed when the court ultimately refused to reopen the closed case, which was also affirmed on appeal.
  •  Jury verdict in favor of law firm in consumer complaint alleging violations of the fair debt collection and deceptive trade practices statutes in relation to residential real estate foreclosure.
  •  Summary judgment granted in state court and affirmed on appeal in a case against a large Texas law firm in which plaintiffs sought damages in excess of $90 million.  Summary judgment was granted on preclusion grounds and on the grounds that plaintiffs failed to provide any admissible evidence of their alleged damages.
  •  Summary judgment granted and affirmed on appeal in favor of a large Dallas law firm in case arising out of the alleged negligent mishandling of probate litigation that resulted in a $20 million judgment against the law firm’s client.        
  • Many more cases settled privately on favorable terms while avoiding the costs and publicity of trial. 

Accounting professionals also have engaged us to represent them in claims involving failed financial institutions and claims brought by trustees, receivers, corporations, and individuals.

Our attorneys are recognized authorities in the fields of professional liability and malpractice and have written and spoken on these topics on numerous occasions.

For more information, please contact:

Kelli Hinson
214-855-3110
khinson@ccsb.com

Related Practice Areas:

Business Litigation
Healthcare

 

 

Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Certification except as noted.