Maine law firm Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson’s contract requiring a former client to arbitrate all claims applies to malpractice claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has ruled.
In Bezio v. Draeger, the court on Monday affirmed U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen’s July 2013 dismissal of the case.
According to court records, Douglas Bezio hired Bernstein Shur to defend him in an action brought by the Maine Office of Securities. His contract with the firm held...
A federal appeals court weighed whether a law firm can keep a client’s malpractice claim out of court if the two sides have a contract calling for arbitration of all disputes.
On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit heard Douglas Bezio’s appeal of a Maine federal judge’s dismissal of his case against Portland, Maine-based Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson and three of its lawyers.
Bezio hired Bernstein Shur for a case involving a regulatory dispute with the state...
