Texas Lawyer:  Oilman's Family Sues Lawyers, Firms, Accountants:

The beneficiaries of a multimillion-dollar trust have sued an estate-planning attorney, his firm and an accounting firm, alleging professional malpractice related to a tax plan that led to litigation with the IRS.

But in an unusual twist, the beneficiaries also sued the firm and lawyers to whom their estate-planning attorney referred them for representation in that litigation before the U.S. Tax Court against the IRS. That Tax Court litigation [Hurford v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2008-278] allegedly cost the plaintiffs more than $1 million in legal fees.

"As a result of the Defendants' representations, negligence and misconduct, Plaintiffs have incurred exorbitant fees and costs in the tax transactions, legal fees in pursuing litigation before the Tax Court, other expenses, and taxes, penalties and interest that otherwise would not have been owed," according to the petition in G. Michael Hurford, et al. v. Joseph B. Garza, et al.