Practice Areas & Industries: Porter & Hedges, L.L.P.

Practice/Industry Group Overview

You are at risk

Nothing is more personal than a career in any one of the professions. You’ve spent a lifetime providing highly valued skills to others as a lawyer, physician, engineer or architect. You could lose everything—career, life savings, professional standing—over allegations of professional negligence. The elements of a negligence lawsuit—duty of care, breach of duty, injury—aim at the heart of your professional skill and commitment.

Plaintiffs think you have deep pockets

Health care professionals bear the brunt of professional services litigation. However, accountants, lawyers, broker/dealers, architects and engineers are often the targets of lawsuits that presume you have “deep pockets” and thus can pay big damage awards if businesses, projects or transactions fail. Even teachers, professors and clergy can be accused of negligence in performing their duties, allegations that may not involve substantial damage awards but which may still shatter careers.

Services Available

You need Porter & Hedges

Our lawyers defend the interests and reputations of professionals in virtually every field. We realize that compassion and understanding are as necessary as competent, efficient, and aggressive representation when counseling a professional faced with a negligence lawsuit or other legal action.

We understand all the issues that you face, from insurance coverage questions to ethics reviews, and have the technical insight to deal with the complexity of medical and engineering issues. If we can resolve the dispute you face other than through arbitration or litigation, we’ll craft a settlement that’s advantageous to you. If it’s necessary to go to court, we’ll be vigorous advocates in your defense.

You get comprehensive assistance

• We defend architect and engineering firms in lawsuits involving delay claims, malpractice allegations, design disputes and wrongful death claims, as well as in disciplinary actions before state licensing boards.
• We defend lawyers against allegations ranging from professional negligence to criminal tax fraud.
• We defend many physicians, nurses, dentists and health care provider organizations in lawsuits alleging malpractice.
• We represent broker/dealers and investment advisors in federal court and before arbitration panels of the American Arbitration Association, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., and the New York Stock Exchange.

These are examples of the solutions we provide

• Representing an architectural design firm in a fee and malpractice dispute with a county government.
• Dismissing a federal lawsuit against a national project management and design firm concerning construction errors in a high-rise prison.
• Securing dismissal of all claims of medical malpractice against a large hospital based on the plaintiff's failure to produce an expert report in the case.
• Serving as counsel for a national engineering firm in a delay, disruption and malpractice claim involving a new $300 million federal agency facility.
• Acting as lead counsel for a major corrections facility architecture firm to obtain an arbitration award for all damages requested and a finding of no malpractice in a counterclaim on a county jail project.

After years of education, private practice or professional affiliation, the last thing you need is a claim that suggests impropriety or negligence. We’ll work to protect your reputation, your livelihood and ensure that you can resume your career and professional focus as quickly as possible.