Client Protection Fund Sees Spike in Claims and Payouts in 2010

Claims by clients whose attorneys stole from them surged in 2010, as did the size of payouts from the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection.There were 820 claims to the fund last year, 67 percent more than in 2009, according to its annual report released Friday.The $8.5 million paid out last year to the clients of 47 attorneys was 42 percent higher than the $5.6 million paid out in 2009.Individual