Professional Liability Issues in the a Free Law Essay Sample

Professional Liability Issues That May Arise When Advising MacArthur

Professional liability refers to the concern for purported uncomplimentary outcomes that may result in providing the advice to a client like MacArthur requested in accord with the terms of the contract. Professional is an avaricious perception, acquisitive of ambitions and expectations but also full of liabilities. Professional negligence is the subset of general rules of laxity covering the state in which the respondent has epitomized him as having more than average abilities and competence. This set of rules is used to determine the standards against which to measure the qualities of the services delivered by professionals legally (Singer, Berger, Davidson & Penalver, 2014). Professional liabilities claims are now common with increasing demand for professional services. For instance, in a claim for remiss design against an architect arising from the collapse of a concrete roof, Erle J. in Turner v Garland and Christopher (1853) articulated that if you hire a professional about a new thing, where he has little or no experience, or if it has not had the test of familiarity, failure may be dependable with skill (Hudson, 1914, 4th ed., Vol. 2, p. 1).

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History of all prodigious perfections shows botch of those who get on them. However, Erle J. claim failed. In contrast to the latter, Lord Edmund Daviess observation in 1980 in a negligent design case that arose from the failure of a television mast, he stated that The law requires even pioneers to be prudent. The claim succeeded. However, the setting of law is far from bleak. Interestingly, most of professional liabilities claims do not arise from technical inability but rather from misinterpretations of contractual clauses by the parties involved (Singer, Berger, Davidson & Penalver, 2014). The objective of this writing is to identify and evaluate professional liability issues that may arise when advising Mr. MacArthur.

The duty of care

A chartered surveyor has the responsibility to exercise reasonable skill and caution about the matter on which he is instructed to his or her client. Here, the duty of care may arise from two independent sources. Contractual duty of care, this is where the surveyor acts for a customer under a contract in return for a fee. The court approved Hobhouse J's scrutiny, which was that considering the application of the Act to contractual claims, it is necessary the claims be in three categories this included; the claim where the accused's liability arises from some contractual provision that does not depend on negligence on the part of the defendant. (Tolleys professional negligence, 1991). Secondly, the assertion arises where the defendant's liability arises from the contractual obligation that is expressed regarding taking care but does not resemble a conjoint law duty to take care that would occur in the given circumstance unconventionally of the presence of any contract. Finally, the respondent's responsibility is the same as his liability in the offence of negligence autonomously of the being of any contract.

Blackburne J. in a case argued that any contributing negligence was inappropriate as the claim was for breach of strict duty, remarking that the obligation as in the contract is reliant on the understanding of the matters in question and not in any way dependent upon negligence on the part of the defendant firm. The fact that the solicitor was careless in overseeing his duty to apprise the society of what he knew does not change his responsibility into one that is reliant on neglect.

The professional relationship between the surveyor and the client may give rise to a duty of care in tort. A tortious duty of care implies that even if there exist no contract and the surveyor ought to know that someone depends on his advice, he will owe that person a duty of care in tort. Nevertheless, the circumstances in which professionals owe duties of care in tort with no contractual relationship are few, but the realism is that an expert is likely to be indebted a duty of care in slackness as well as a contractual duty. The law that relates to professional liability with a deceptive lucidity and distinctiveness of scrutiny has been arrayed to exercise care and skill. This has fostered a misdemeanour culture, which has imposed on the contractual analysis that may otherwise have been conquered. Pigeon-holing applicable case law under professional liability inspires its association with tort of laxity. "Professional liability" is a more impartial and precise naming (Davies, 2008). Even so, the culture of tort is not an etymological product alone; more important factors are the criticality bestowed to the duty of care and skill and its relation to both contractual and tortious duties.

Unfair Contract Terms Act of 1977 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 allow modification of the contractual and tortious duties by use of disclaimers and contract terms. Its possible though rare for a surveyor to owe the opposing party (the one whom his client is in dispute with) the duty of care. For instance, a valuer knows that his valuation for his client will be relied upon by the other side in settlement negotiations. He/She may owe the opposing party, as well as the customer, to exercise reasonable care and skill while carrying out the valuation (Davies, 2008). The valuer becomes liable to that person if he makes a negligent misrepresentation. In most case, a party will have a retainer to set out the range of professional's duties and responsibilities owed to the client. It is imperative that the retainer is clearly writing.

Although it is important, the obligation of care and skill is only one of some duties. Oliver J. in the Midland Bank Trust Co. v Hett, Stubbs and Kemp [1979] Ch. 384 at 434 made remarks, stating that sorting formulation of assertions in this type of case for desertion and breach of professional duties inclines to be a hypnotic phrase. The concentration of attention is therefore on the disguised obligation to dedicating the clients business reasonable care and skill as if that compulsion were not only a compendious but also a comprehensive delineation of all the duties expected under the contract created by the contract and its approval. But of course, it's not, as an agreement only gives rise to a compound of rights and duties of which the obligation to exercise reasonable care and skill is just but one. Professional negligence summonses the association with the tort of slackness, contract rather than tort offers the structure for resolving the enormous popular of assertions against pros. The analysis trails the conformist course of first establishing the nature of the bargain as echoed in prompt and implicit terms. Tort prerequisites only to be deliberated to the scope compulsory to overawe superficial hindrances ascending from the judicial scrutiny (Davies, 2008). It is unanticipated that, against a background of increasing viability, duty to exercise reasonable care and skill remains to be considered as commonly appropriate only in the case of contracts with professionals and that the law courts have been uncertain to feature higher duties.

Fiduciary duty and breach of trust

A person who holds the ethical or legal relationship of confidence with one or more other parties is known as a fiduciary. Fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care either equity or law. A fiduciary has an obligation not to be in a position where personal interests and his duties as a fiduciary conflict, or a situation where his fiduciary duty conflict with other fiduciary duties. The Law Commission of England and Wales reviewed fiduciary duties in 2014 stating that fiduciary liabilities are not tacit by sequestration. They can be better viewed as legal Polyfilla, that are malleable enough around other legal structures even sufficient to fill the gaps (Fiduciary duties of investment intermediaries, Law Com 350, para 3.11).

For example, in Nationwide Building Society v Balmer Radmore Blackburne J. said, responsible laxity has never been a defence in English law to an intended tort as such cases the 1945 Act does not apply. He recalled Lord Dunedin remarks in Nocton V Lord Ashburton [1914] AC 932 page 963 saying that there is no real reason impartiality to keep persons in a fiduciary aptitude should embrace a less arduous slant (Jackson & Powell, 2007). BlackBurne J. declared that in order to establish a breach of fiduciary, it is important that the fiduciary was consciously disloyal to the client whom his or her liability was due to, and that the fiduciary is incapacitated from avowing that the other contributed by his want of care for his or her interests, leading to forfeiture that he agonized sinuous from the breach.

Dillon L.J supported Blackburne J. argument by adding in his proceedings that a professional man only assumes when his advice is required to use reasonable care and skill in his occupation and does not guarantee the exactitude of his guidance in the non-appearance of exceptional situations. Nonetheless, British law is currently tolerant to express a professional person to a liability advanced than the obligation to use judicious care and dexterity. Breach of fiduciary duty will be allowed merely in "unexpected conditions". This conditions may be oblique probably only when not only information or advice is given, but a product is supplied.

The Sale of Goods Act of 1979 and contemporary jurisdictional insights of corporate law point are protected by categorisations of contracts echoed in statutes concerning to terms to be obscure in diverse types of indenture. Therefore in various types of contracts of sale of goods, rapports to be implicit include terms as quality and appropriateness. Moreover, from cases of numerous kinds of contracts for the transfer of assets, the Supply of Goods and Services Act of 1982 stated that the terms including contracts for work and materials such as a building contract are considered to be like terms (Jackson & Powell, 2007). In contrast, however, in the case of a "contract for the supply of a service", Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 state that there exist no legal inference of terms of fitness and quality. Although where the supplier is acting in the course of business, it is inferred that he will carry out the service with reasonable skill and care. Claims of breaches of fiduciary duties can only be made when there exist intentional disloyalty, as deliberate subversion is a necessary component of the violation of fiduciary duty.

For many years, the averment of failure to exercise a duty of skill and care has been a coinage term, which has helped the less rigorous judges to avoid articulation of more precise reasons for his conclusion. Atkin concept of reasonable care is blunt and has dominated the analysis of professional liability cases; it requires to be approached with extraordinary caution.

In conclusion, the generalisations are familiar. Restriction in contract runs from the time of breach and in tort, as from the time the loss or damage first occurred. Deciding when loss or damage first occurred is often dependant on how it is distinguished. In different context of professional liability, this problem is frequently fought, as compared to others. Therefore, any result may root injury to a client, physical damage to his property or cause financial loss this including repairing cost and loss of earnings.

Issues relating to ownership raised by the title documents

The title documents provided shows the land is in freehold ownership. Freehold or frank-tenement is the ownership of property, hereby been land and all immobile structures attached to such land. Station...