Legal Question in Legal Malpractice in Maryland

Dead lawyer owes me money

Back in 2005, at the age of 19, I was arrested. I paid my first lawyer $1500 as a retainer.

On my court date, which I traveled 200 miles to, he was nowhere to be found. I ran around like a damn chicken with it's head cut off for the few hours before they called me. I ended up with a... deferrment? I dunno, another court date.

So, for the next month or so, there was no answer at his office, and I kept calling until the messages were full, then the number got disconnected.

Anyway, I tried to track this guy down with no luck, off and on, from 2005 to 2008, and finally found a year-and-a-half old obituary from a small-town paper in WV.

... can I still get my money?


Asked on 3/30/09, 10:00 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Sher Wagshal and Sher

Re: Dead lawyer owes me money

You can see if there is an estate open for him in WV or wherever he was living when he died, and if so you can file a claim, but at this late date it's going to be extremely difficult. The statute of limitations for this case has probably run out, so even if you found an estate with assets and filed a claim, it might be rejected by the estate administrator.

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Answered on 3/31/09, 9:33 am


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