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Richard A. Klass
Articles by Richard A. Klass, Esq. |
Attorney Fee Collections Articles and Video
The Enforcement of an Attorney's Retaining Lien
Sometimes, an attorney is discharged by his client without cause, and with a substantial amount of money due to the attorney from the client. Aside from the attorney bringing a plenary action on the debt owed by the client, the attorney may seek alternative measures through the application of liens upon the client’s cause of action or file, through the employment of either a “charging” lien or “retaining” lien.... (more)
Why Settle for a Charging Lien?
In litigation, there may come a time when, without cause, an attorney withdraws from the case or the client discharges the attorney. At that instance, the attorney is wondering how he is going to get paid the remainder of his legal fee from his client. He may also be wondering what mechanisms may be used to get paid.... (more)
Video: When Great Clients Vanish (without paying their bills)
Debt Collection Articles
A Practical Guide to Collecting on a Debt in New York State
At some point in the collection process, the debtor may be either forced to settle the debt or voluntarily settle the debt with the creditor. The debtor might not have sufficient assets or income to pay off the entire debt at once.
Arrangements with the debtor may be made pre-suit, post-filing/pre-judgment, and post-judgment. The agreement signed will include several key provisions.... (more)
Analysis of Exempt Income Protection Act
Beginning on January 1, 2009, New York State enacted new measures relating to the restraint of debtors’ bank accounts, through the enactment of the Exempt Income Protection Act (“Act”).
The Act materially changes the process of restraints on debtors’ bank accounts, and the steps that each party to the process must take. The Act imposes new requirements on (a) the bank, to identify and analyze the source(s) of income and deposits into an account; (b) the judgment creditor’s attorney, to issue new exemption notices and forms, and appropriately address claimed exemptions by the debtor; and (c) the debtor, to timely raise any exemption claims upon restraint of an account. Since this process is “brand new” to New York law, the manners in which all of these parties, as well as the court system address the process will evolve from practice and procedure.... (more)
Guide to the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as codified in 15 USC §1692, is a federal statute which governs the practices of "debt collectors." Attorneys engaged in the general practice of law, and debt collection in particular should be mindful of the rules of this federal law.... (more)
General Litigation Articles
Obtaining Leave of Court to Submit Evidence in Reply Papers for ‘Good Cause Shown’
In litigation, parties may bring motions for dismissal of the action or affirmative defenses, or move for ‘summary judgment’ (that there are no genuine issues of fact and the judge can decide the case on the law alone). Generally, the moving party puts forward all of its proof in support of its motion, including any affidavits, documents or photographs. The opposing party then puts forward all of its proof. At that point, it is inappropriate for either party to provide additional facts in reply papers, as courts want to give each party an opportunity to properly respond to the facts alleged in the original papers. It would otherwise be unfair.... (more)
Plaintiffs Should Be Permitted to Amend the Complaint Pursuant to CPLR 3025
Civil Practice Law and Rules [CPLR] Section 3025 authorizes the amendment of a pleading in an action, including the Complaint of the plaintiff. According to subsection (b) of CPLR 3025, leave of court is needed to amend a pleading once issue has joined; however, it should be freely given to a party.
New York courts have held that, in the absence of prejudice to the defendant, the amendment of a pleading should be freely granted by a court. It is also well established law that a motion to amend a pleading should be freely given absent a showing by an opposing party of surprise or prejudice.... (more)
Legal Malpractice Articles
The Wrong Side of the Tracks Costs Law Firm $800,000
(From Law Currents, Winter 2011)
The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) leased one of its old rail yards in Queens to a recycling company. One of the recycling company’s employees was working the late shift on a rainy evening in 2003. That rainy night, he was assigned the task of welding on a portion of the metal fence surrounding the yard with an acetylene torch. He got up on a ladder, climbed up several rungs, and started to weld. At that point, the injured worker got a shock from the welding equipment. The ladder then shifted in the mud and he fell to the ground, suffering severe injuries. Since that incident, he was unable to work, having become disabled, and having had several surgeries to his back and knee....(more)
How the “Continuous Representation” Doctrine Helps Injured Clients
(From Law Currents, Spring 2008)
In legal matters, there is an attorney-client relationship from the moment that the attorney is consulted by the client until the matter concludes. If, during the term of this relationship, the attorney was negligent or commits malpractice in the matter, the client may have a claim against the attorney for legal malpractice. Sometimes, the malpractice is committed at the early stages of litigation and not at the conclusion; for instance, an action may have started in Year 1, malpractice was committed in Year 2, and the action concludes in Year 6. The question then becomes whether or not the client may pursue a claim against the attorney for the malpractice committed in Year 2, when the statute of limitations period may have already passed.... (more)
Proximate Cause and Attorney Malpractice
There is a legal concept in personal injury law called "proximate cause." The big question in holding someone liable for the injuries of another is: "Was the defendant’s action the proximate cause of the injury sustained by the plaintiff?" In other words, was it the defendant’s fault or not.... (more)
The Basic Elements of a Legal Malpractice Case
In every type of lawsuit, a plaintiff (commonly known as the person bringing the case) must make certain allegations of fact against a defendant (the party being sued) and tie those allegations of fact to violations of specific laws or rules. Those violations could be based upon a particular statute or rule or section of law, or common law generally (some times the two overlap as well). If the plaintiff cannot prove that the defendant committed an “actionable” wrong, then the lawsuit will be dismissed by the court – either because there is a failure of proof or because the allegations of proof do not amount to a violation of law as interpreted by the court.... (more)
The Harsh Rule of the Statute of Limitations in Legal Malpractice Cases
The term “statute of limitations” refers to the period of time in which a plaintiff may bring a lawsuit against a defendant for a claim. Different types of cases are governed by different statute of limitations period (for instance, six years for contract actions in New York, three years for tort actions in New York). The effect of the statute of limitations is that a plaintiff bringing a lawsuit after that period of time has expired is barred from bringing it, and the lawsuit will be dismissed as untimely.... (more)
Striking the Affirmative Defense of Statute of Limitations in a Legal Malpractice Action
When a former client sues his attorney for legal malpractice, the defendant-attorney/law firm will almost invariably put forward, as part of its defense of the law suit, the Affirmative Defense of Statute of Limitations. In New York State, the period in which an attorney may be sued (whether for a tort [civil wrong] or breach of contract) is generally three (3) years from the date of malpractice. If the client does not sue the attorney/law firm within the applicable Statute of Limitations period, then the case is “time barred” and may be dismissed as having been filed too late.... (more)
Real Estate Litigation Articles
Asking the Court to Grant Partition and Sale of Jointly-Owned Property
In a recent case, in which Richard A. Klass, Your Court Street Lawyer, represented one of three owners of real property asked the trial judge to grant ‘summary judgment’ against the other owners, granting his motion to partition and sell the real property at auction. In support of the motion, it was requested that the court grant partition and sale, in accordance with Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law [RPAPL] Article 9.... (more)
Equitable Estoppel of a Mortgagee’s Claim
The doctrine of “equitable estoppel” was applied in a recent case litigated in the Commercial Division of the Kings County Supreme Court. In deciding that a mortgagee was estopped from collecting additional moneys from the mortgagor/cooperative corporation, Justice Carolyn Demarest relied upon the long-standing principle that the courts will not allow a party to “lull” another into inactivity to its detriment. In affirming the Decision and Order of Justice Demarest, the Appellate Division, Second Department found that summary judgment was properly granted on the basis of equitable estoppel.... (more)
See also, LawCURRENTS back issues for numerous relevant articles and cases.
License Information
These articles by Richard A. Klass, Esq. may be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. The publication and license guidelines for the individual articles, as noted at the foot of each article, need to be followed. For those who seek permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact Mr. Klass (email: RichKlass@CourtStreetLaw.com). Insert the words "reprint permission request" in the subject line of the email.
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