Dow v. Jones

Jeffery Dow (plaintiff), facing a sexual-assault charge, met with two partners at the law firm Seals Jones Wilson Garrow & Evans, LLP (SJWGE) (defendant); he later signed a retainer agreement on SJWGE letterhead naming partner James Jones as his criminal-defense counsel. Later correspondence about Dow's case, also on SJWGE letterhead, referred only to Jones individually. After Jones handled the trial (and, Dow alleged, mishandled it badly enough that Dow's convictions were later overturned for ineffective assistance), Dow sued SJWGE and its named partners for malpractice, arguing he'd reasonably believed Jones represented him on the firm's behalf. Much of the alleged malpractice occurred after SJWGE had already formally dissolved. The court granted summary judgment for all individual defendants except Jones, and after removal to federal court, SJWGE moved for summary judgment too.