By Any Other Name: Rules Limiting Alternative Pleading in Professional Liability Actions

Most states allow former clients to assert claims against a licensed professional in either tort or contract. The stereotypical tort claim alleges that the professional failed to act in accordance with the standards expected by members of the profession, resulting in damages to the client. The stereotypical contract claim alleges that the professional was given a specific instruction and their failure to act in accordance with that instruction resulted in damages to the client. In a professional liability claim, it is not unusual to see multiple causes of action pleading professional failures, but in many circumstances case law has concluded that there is only one “real” appropriate claim.

In the majority of U.S. jurisdictions, the statute of limitations period for a contract claim is lon