Professional Liability Defense Quarterly

Membership in the Professional Liability Defense Federation™ includes delivery of the Professional Liability Defense Quarterly, which is devoted to current legal defense and claims handling issues. Articles of topical interest spanning a wide range of malpractice defense subjects are presented to add value to effective defense preparations for the claims handler and defense counsel.

Write for the PLD Quarterly!

Interested in sharing your experience and expertise? We'd love to hear from you! Take a look at our PLD Quarterly Author Requirements and contact Managing Director Sandra Wulf with any questions.

Professional Liability Defense Survey of Law

The Professional Liability Defense Survey of Law is a compilation of case summaries of the most important cases from across the country.

The current issue of the PLD Survey of Law is reserved for members of the PLDF. Follow this link to view our current issue. (Are you interested in gaining access to the current issue, but are not yet a member? No worries! Join today for instant access to this publication.)

The PLD Survey of Law Archives are available here. Interested in contributing to the next Survey of Law? Awesome! Take a look at our PLD Survey of Law Author Requirements and contact Managing Director Sandra Wulf.

Appellant Reference Guide

A litigating attorney must be cognizant of the general appellate procedures applicable in their geographic practice area. Among that knowledge base is knowing what the timing requirements are to perfect an appeal from state court decisions, orders or judgments. This 50-state Appellant Reference Guide of 2021 provides a general reference guide of the timeline for filing an appeal and the applicable rules in each state, generated completely by PLDF members.

Accountant Privity Survey

In a professional liability environment in which there are an ever increasing number of claims against accountants brought by those who were not directly the accountant’s client, ascertaining who the defendant accountant owes a duty to is one of the key issues to resolve in responding to such claims. The Accountant Privity Survey of 2016 addresses the board spectrum of laws that govern this area of the law.

Multi-State Significant Issue Survey

The Multi-State Significant Issue Survey is a compilation of significant state-specific issues facing professional liability professionals in the areas of legal malpractice, medical malpractice, bad faith and insurance coverage, evidence, settlement, and liability.

50-State Lawyer's Professional Liability Privity Survey

“In a legal context, the term ‘privity’ is a word of art derived from the common law of contracts and used to describe the relationship of persons who are parties to a contract.” Espinosa v. Sparber, Shevin, Shapo, Rosen & Heil Bronner, 612 So.2d 1378 (Fla. 1993).

The PLDF 50-State Lawyer's Professional Liability Privity Survey provides an overview of the applicability of privity to causes of actions for legal malpractice. The general rule is that a cause of action for legal malpractice may only proceed where the attorney and the plaintiff were in privity with each other. The results of this survey demonstrate three trends across the nation. First, privity is generally a common law defense. The majority of State Legislatures have not codified privity as a defense to legal malpractice claims. Second, there is generally an exception to the privity rule where the plaintiff can prove that he or she was the intended beneficiary of legal services. Finally, many States use a 6 factor balancing test to determine whether a third party may bring a legal malpractice claim against a lawyer.

50-State Survey of Lawyer Mental Health & Well-Being Resources

The 50-State Survey of Lawyer Mental Health & Well-Being Resources aims to provide lawyers across the U.S. with a quick reference guide to resources available in their respective jurisdiction to address mental health & well-being issues. This survey includes contact information and summaries of services and/or website mission statements for each state’s confidential Lawyer Assistance Program, state bar well-being committee (if one exists), and COVID-19 resources provider(s) specific to lawyers (if available). National resources are also provided.