Professional Liability Defense

Directors, officers, lawyers, accountants, financial advisers, engineers, insurance brokers and other professionals turn to ZAG/S&W's Professional Liability Defense Group to protect their rights. The Professional Liability Defense Group is experienced in handling a wide variety of claims in civil actions, administrative proceedings, disciplinary matters, and government investigations and actions. Major insurance carriers have approved ZAG/S&W lawyers to defend malpractice matters, securities cases, class actions or other accusations against professionals. Our lawyers can also help facilitate insurance coverage as appropriate.

Practice Profile (PDF)

Representative Client Work

  • Represented attorneys, accountants, executives, financial advisors, engineers and insurance professionals in a variety of professional liability actions
  • Obtained summary judgment on a multi-million dollar legal malpractice claim, defeating partner-by-estoppel theories
  • Defeated various complaints to Bar Counsel against attorneys
  • Obtained dismissal of multi-million dollar false statement claims brought by the Office of the Attorney General based on allegations of related-party transactions against corporate officers
  • Represented financial professionals in disciplinary proceedings at the CFA Institute
  • Represented numerous directors and officers in response to SEC investigations
  • Obtained reduction of charges from felonies to misdemeanors for professionals in matters ranging from alleged computer hacking in New Hampshire to alleged theft from a charity in New York
  • Represented subjects and targets of high-profile “options backdating” and Ponzi-scheme investigations
  • Won a landmark appeal at state high court preserving work product protection over communications with accountants
  • Represented a vice president of a New Jersey technology company who was targeted, but never charged, by a federal grand jury investigation into the alleged theft of trade secrets 

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