Opinion ID: 1403570
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: The trial court dismissed this legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty case by granting summary judgment in favor of the defendant-attorney who argued that he owed no legal duty to a minor on whose behalf he had filed and settled a personal injury case. The defendant-attorney asserted that no attorney-client relationship existed between the minor and him because the minor's next friend and statutory guardian retained him to pursue the minor's tort claim. On discretionary review, we hold that an attorney pursuing a claim on behalf of a minor does have an attorney-client relationship with the minor. And that relationship means that the attorney owes professional duties to the minor, who is the real party in interest. [1] So it is possible for the minor to state a claim for legal malpractice or breach of fiduciary duty against the attorney who has been retained by a person acting as the minor's next friend or statutory guardian. Thus, we affirm the Court of Appeals opinion reversing the summary judgment and remanding for further proceedings.