Mark Scruggs

Five reasons why you should review your client files this New Year and fire at least one client. Read More

Preventing Alias or Pluries summonses mistakes. Read More

A solid intake interview will go a long way to making sure the cases you choose to work on are fulfilling for you and your clients. Read More

Do you ever serve as trustee of a client’s trust? Read More

Social media, clients and ethics Read More

Don’t let affirmative defenses that you deem meritless remain in the Answer and a part of the case.  Read More

One of the most common errors we see at Lawyers Mutual is the failure to sue the right defendant before the statute of limitations expires.  Read More

Practice Points with Mark Scruggs - Conflicts and Confidentiality Read More

When you get that call from an out-of-state attorney asking you to serve as local counsel, consider the risks. You might think that being local counsel is a ministerial act or duty; something necessary for the out-of-state lawyer to obtain admission pro hac vice to represent his or her client in a North Carolina court. Read More

Have you ever wondered about this as you approached the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury action: Is the statute of limitations counted in days or years? At Lawyers Mutual, we get this question occasionally. I think we intuitively know the answer, but anxiety might prompt the question. Especia… Read More

Today’s practice point is on Rule 36 Request for Admissions. Not a month goes by that we don’t have an insured call to report that they’ve missed the deadline for responding to a Request for Admissions. That’s bad because if a Request for Admissions is not timely responded to, the reques… Read More

Have you ever given oral notice in open court of your client’s voluntary dismissal without prejudice and then followed up with a written dismissal filed with the court? If so, were you aware that your one-year re-filing period under Rule 41 began to run from the date you gave oral notice in open court &n… Read More

Today's practice point is on Uninsured Motorist claims. Now that’s uninsured motorist claims as opposed to underinsured motorist claims. There’s a big difference in the kind of notice you have to give the insurer in each situation. Practice Point number 1: Although you do not have to name the UM in… Read More

As the Bar Exam looms, we begin anticipating an influx of newly minted lawyers, many of them courtroom bound. As a former practicing litigation attorney, I would like to offer my top tips for newly minted lawyers, especially those who aspire to courthouse and courtroom practice. Tip #1 – Find a mentor. I… Read More

Hypothetical: You represent an individual in a personal injury case. The tortfeasor died six months after the accident. He had a minimum limits policy, but there are significant assets in his estate. Your client’s medical bills alone exceed the policy limits of the other tortfeasor’s liability polic… Read More