The NYLJ reports that the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection shows a big spike in the monies paid out to clients. This year [2005] the amount was $ 8.1 million. Money for the Client’s fund comes from attorney registration fees.
It is likely that each dollar of re-imbursement represents a legal malpractice incident. For the most part, they are cases where the attorney is going to jail, or is otherwise not a good candidate to sue. Nevertheless, this a grim reminder of the prevalence of legal malpractice in New York.