What is the standard of care of a reasonably competent solicitor?

The applicable standard of care is that of a reasonably competent solicitor: Ristimaki v. Cooper.[1] A lawyer who is retained must bring “reasonable care, skill and knowledge to the performance of the professional service which he [or she] has undertaken.”[2] As well, “a solicitor’s conduct must be viewed in the context of the surrounding circumstances. The reasonableness of the lawyer’s impugned conduct is judged in light of the surrounding circumstances such as the time available to complete the work, the nature of the client’s instructions, and the experience and sophistication of the client.”[3]