California · statute of limitations

Statute of Limitations for Legal Malpractice in California

By DocketMath TeamUpdated May 16, 20261 min read
Statute of Limitations for Legal Malpractice in California
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Quoted from the source law itself. Not legal advice; confirm how it applies to your matter.

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California statute-of-limitations: period is 3; period is 3.

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Authority and key facts

Citation: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1

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Verified April 23, 2026

  • Period: 3
  • Period: 3
  • Statute Of Limitations Years: 2
  • Government Notice Period Days: 180

How the limitation period applies

The controlling primary authority for US-CA legal malpractice SOL (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 340.6(a)) is Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 340.6(a).

Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 340.6(a). An action against an attorney for a wrongful act or omission, other than for actual fraud, arising in the performance of professional services shall be commenced within one year after the plaintiff discovers, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the facts constituting the wrongful act or omission, or four years from the date of the wrongful act or omission, whichever occurs first.

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DocketMath's statute-of-limitations tool can model these timelines once you identify the controlling claim type and accrual date. Use the source panel for the verified primary-source citations.

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Sources

All sources are official primary law published by leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

Corroboration method: government_primary_source_direct_fetch.


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