The Blog, LA BizObserved reports that:

"Malpractice disclosure: A task force of the State Bar of California is proposing that lawyers be required to tell their clients whether they carry malpractice insurance (about 20 percent of the state’s 150,000 lawyers don’t, many of them sole practitioners). Opponents say the the requirement could force all lawyers to buy such insurance and pass on the costs to clients. Legal malpractice cases worth $2 million or more jumped 60 percent between 1996 and 2003. Most legal malpractice claims result from personal injury and real estate cases, according to the study, and close to 70 percent of these suits were lodged against small firms. The proposed rule would have to be approved by the State Bar’s Board of Governors and the California Supreme Court. (LAT) "