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New Traps for the Unwary can help avoid pitfalls

Issue October 2011

Traps for the Unwary, the Massachusetts Bar Association's award-winning handbook on legal malpractice prevention and ethics, will be published in November. The sixth edition is the first revision of the popular member benefit in seven years. A generous contribution from the MBA Insurance Agency Inc. has enabled the MBA to publish Traps and mail one copy to each member.

James E. Harvey Jr., managing partner at O'Malley and Harvey LLP in Boston, served as editor-in-chief. He states it is the best edition yet, containing over two dozen new traps and numerous, updated citations.

"We are grateful to the over 100 lawyers whose suggestions for traps have been included in Traps for the Unwary. Their combined wisdom should help all of us avoid the many hazards that lurk in wait for even the most conscientious lawyers," Harvey said.

Terence J. Welsh, president of the MBA Insurance Agency Inc., says that Traps for the Unwary is a very important benefit.

"We believe that Traps for the Unwary will help lawyers recognize the 'traps' that attorneys face on a daily basis by providing them practical information to avoid malpractice. We view our support as a public service to help lawyers and their clients avoid the pain and expense of a malpractice claim," Welsh said.

"It also makes good business sense for us to help our members/policyholders reduce their risk of malpractice as the good loss experience they then will produce, supported by risk management information like Traps, allows us to continue to offer a comprehensive malpractice policy at a competitive price," he said