Local Counsel & Attorney Referrals

Providing Representation And Litigation Services To Individuals And Businesses For 40 Years

Our Local Insight Gives You An Advantage

Mercy Carter, L.L.P., Attorney at Law, serves as local counsel for businesses and law firms throughout the United States and abroad. Our firm is frequently chosen as local counsel for our long track record of success in jury trials and our commitment to innovative, aggressive representation. We are also very familiar with applicable local rules, likes and dislikes of the local judges, and the important nuances of the courts. Clients and law firms that have engaged our firm as local counsel have found our services invaluable to their litigation efforts.

Attorney W. David Carter practices in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the Western District of Arkansas. If you need local counsel or an attorney referral, please call our Texarkana, Texas, office at 903-794-9419.

Skillfully Handling Duties Of Local Counsel

Generally speaking, once an attorney undertakes to act as local counsel, certain duties and potential liabilities attach. For instance, local counsel:

• Must exercise reasonable care and diligence in the representation of the client and in the assistance to lead counsel
• Owes fiduciary duties to the client in conformity with the applicable rules of professional responsibility
• Is responsible for compliance with all local court rules, and in some courts, is responsible for nonlocal counsel’s compliance with local court rules

Any mistake on the part of local counsel can make the client liable for damages. Local counsel’s ability to help a client will depend on the assignments from the lead counsel and on the relationship with the client.

In some jurisdictions, the Rules of Professional Conduct provide for local counsel to limit the scope of representation. Nevertheless, local counsel should always make clear who is responsible for any particular aspect of the representation. In recent years courts have abandoned the traditional notion that local counsel is somehow less responsible for representing the client. See Gould, Inc. v. Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., 738 F. Supp. 112,1125 (N.D. Ohio 1990). Our legal team gladly accepts the responsibility of representing the client and coordinating with referring counsel.

Contact Us To Learn More About Our Services

To make an appointment, please call 903-794-9419 or send us an email.