Craig A. Reichel v. Wendland Utz, LTD

Summary

The court held that the court of appeals exceeded its jurisdiction by deciding legal-malpractice claims that remained pending in the district court and were not included in the certified partial final judgment. It also held that a legal-malpractice plaintiff seeking attorney fees incurred to correct negligent litigation conduct need not prove that the underlying litigation would have produced a different result; it need only prove that the claimed harm would not have occurred without the negligence. The court reversed the summary judgment ruling on Reichel Foods' professional-negligence claim, vacated the other appellate rulings, and remanded.