Here is a subscription article from Law.com  on recoverable legal fees in NJ legal malpractice litigation:

"A six-year-long legal malpractice epic shows why the N.J. State Bar Association wants to abolish the state’s unique fee-shifting benefits. A jury found that a firm that had sued its client for an unpaid fee, and was countersued, had handled the case improperly. The judge then ordered the firm to pay $52,000 in fees, plus costs, based on case precedent that says sums spent in the successful pursuit of a negligent lawyer are recoverable. The State Bar is hoping the Legislature will step in to change the law."