Questions and answers.

Adults with concerns about medical care they or a family member received, or about work an accountant, CPA, or tax preparer did for them, who want to talk with an attorney about it. We’re opening state by state, and requests aren’t open yet. See where we operate.

Medical care: a diagnosis, surgery, hospital or emergency care, a birth, or a medication. See our guide to medical malpractice.

Accounting and tax work: errors on a tax return, missed deadlines, audit or financial-statement problems, or bad advice from an accountant. See our guide to accounting malpractice.

You don’t need to know what went wrong, and “not sure” is always an answer.

A few short steps: where it happened and who it’s about, what your concern is, how it affected you, a little context (like whether you already have a lawyer), your email address, and a final review where you choose whether to share. See how it works.

Yes. Every state sets its own deadlines, and some depend on when a problem was discovered. Don’t assume it’s too late, or that there’s plenty of time. An attorney licensed in the state where it happened can tell you which deadlines apply.

We’re opening state by state, after reviewing each state’s rules with local counsel and once enough independent law firms there have joined. Florida opens first, and more states follow. Some states aren’t available, and for now we can’t accept requests from people who live in California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Texas, or Washington, because of consumer-privacy laws there. See the full list on where we operate. If we can’t help, we’ll tell you before you share any details.

A bad outcome or an honest mistake isn’t malpractice by itself. Malpractice generally means a professional, such as a doctor or an accountant, didn’t use the care that a reasonably careful professional in the same field would have used, and that failure caused real harm or loss. Whether that happened is a question for an attorney, usually working with an expert in the same field. We never evaluate anyone’s situation.

Generally, feeling dismissed or rushed isn’t medical malpractice by itself. If a doctor’s failure to take symptoms seriously led to a missed or delayed diagnosis that caused harm, an attorney can look at whether the care fell below the accepted standard. It can help to write down when symptoms were raised and what you were told.

An error on a return isn’t automatically malpractice. An attorney looks at what the accountant agreed to do, whether the work fell below what a reasonably careful accountant would have done, and whether it caused a loss, such as penalties or interest you wouldn’t otherwise owe. Keep your engagement letter, the returns, and every notice you received. See accounting malpractice.

Often, as part of the harm. Pain, suffering, and mental anguish are commonly part of the damages when substandard care caused an injury, alongside physical harm and financial losses. A claim based on emotional distress alone, without an injury caused by the care, is treated differently, and the rules vary by state.

Request a complete copy of your records now, keep your own notes of what happened and when, and tell an attorney what you believe is wrong. Some states extend filing deadlines when concealment kept someone from discovering an injury. Florida, for example, allows an extension in that situation but sets an outer limit (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(c)). Don’t rely on an extension. Speak with an attorney promptly.

It depends on the state and on the kind of claim. Every state sets its own deadlines, often called statutes of limitations, and medical malpractice claims can have different deadlines from claims against other professionals, such as accountants. Many deadlines are measured from when the problem happened or was discovered, and some have outer limits and exceptions for children. An attorney licensed in the state where it happened can tell you which deadlines apply. For state rules in detail, see our medical malpractice deadline guides for Florida, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

In some states, yes, especially for medical malpractice. Some states require an investigation and a written opinion from a qualified medical expert, a notice to each provider, or a waiting period before a lawsuit can be filed. Florida and Arizona are two examples (Fla. Stat. § 766.203; A.R.S. § 12-2603). These rules are technical, so let an attorney handle them.

Ask how many cases like yours they’ve handled, who will work on your matter day to day, how they’ll keep you updated, how they work with experts, and what they need from you next. You can confirm any lawyer’s license and public discipline history with the bar or court that licenses lawyers in their state.

You can represent yourself, but malpractice cases are among the hardest to bring alone, because they usually need an expert in the same field to explain what went wrong. State expert-opinion and notice rules still apply to you. In Florida, for example, a medical malpractice claimant needs a verified written opinion from a qualified medical expert before filing, and in Arizona a preliminary expert opinion affidavit is generally required when expert testimony is needed (A.R.S. § 12-2603). It’s worth speaking with an attorney first, even if you decide not to hire one.

First, get the care you need now, from another provider if you prefer. Then write down what happened while it’s fresh: dates, names, and what you were told. Request copies of your medical records, and keep bills, prescriptions, discharge papers, and anything you were given. Be careful about posting details online. Then speak with an attorney about whether the care fell short and which deadlines apply.

Ask the provider’s medical records office in writing. In every state, federal HIPAA rules give you a right to a copy of most of your records, generally within 30 days of your request (45 C.F.R. § 164.524). State laws can add to that. Florida, for example, requires doctors and other licensed practitioners to give you copies of your records, including X-rays, in a timely manner and without delays for legal review (Fla. Stat. § 456.057(6)).

We’re a family business carrying on the legacy of Howard Neu. Read our story. Our operating company’s legal name and address will be listed on our Advertising Disclosure before attorney requests open.

Participating attorneys pay us to take part in our service. It costs you nothing, and we never receive a share of anything an attorney charges you.

No. We connect you with a participating firm based on objective factors: location, the type of concern, and availability. We don’t rank attorneys or say one is better than another.

In a dedicated, access-controlled intake system that’s separate from this website’s platform. Only people who need it to handle your request can see it, and our notification emails don’t include the details of what happened.

Yes. You can ask us to delete it at any time, and we’ll pass your request on to any firm that received it. See our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.

No. We don’t ask for a phone number. We email you to confirm your address and to update you about your request, and the firm you approve replies by email, only about your request.

We send your request to that one firm. The firm emails you, explains how it works with clients, and decides whether it can help.

Yes, you can always speak with other attorneys. We send your request to one participating firm at a time, and to another firm only if you approve that firm by name.

Tell us, and we’ll review whether that firm should keep participating. You can also raise concerns about an attorney’s conduct with the bar or court that licenses lawyers in that attorney’s state.