New York Per Diem Attorney
In today’s busy legal environment, many firms rely on per diem attorneys to handle court appearances and other cases. The benefit of having access to a robust network of legal professionals is that it can enable firms to manage their caseloads effectively and deliver high-quality representation to clients.
However, finding a competent per diem lawyer in a timely manner can sometimes prove challenging. This is where AppearMe comes in. AppearMe is the largest real-time and on-demand network of freelance attorneys, New York Per Diem Attorney, and legal support providers in the US.
The platform uses advanced technology to match lawyers and law firms with the right legal professionals for their needs. Its broad network of legal professionals across New York and New Jersey enables lawyers to find a suitable partner in seconds, making it a powerful solution for busy lawyers and law firms who need to cover last minute court appearances, depositions, and other matters.
While the scope of per diem attorney work has diversified, New York lawyers must be mindful of professional ethics considerations when engaging such services. In most instances, a per diem lawyer is hired by the firm on an hourly basis to do work such as draft a memorandum, prepare a motion, perform research, or appear in court. The Hiring Firm remains the attorney of record in the case and the work performed by the per diem is billed to the client at the rate of the Hiring Firm’s hourly fee.
The firm that hires the per diem lawyer is responsible for ensuring that the lawyer is ethically compliant. To ensure that this is the case, lawyers in the firm should carefully review the lawyer’s background and experience, including any disciplinary history and other information that may be important to the client. Depending on the circumstances, it may be appropriate for the hiring firm to obtain written consent from the client that the firm is using a per diem attorney.
In addition, the attorney of record should clearly communicate with the per diem attorney what work is expected and the timeframe in which it must be completed. This will help prevent any conflicts of interest or issues that may arise later on. For example, the attorney of record should make it clear that the firm expects the per diem to attend a court hearing or deposition on a specified date.
Finally, the Hiring Firm should also ensure that any mark-up of the per diem’s fee is disclosed to the client. This will help avoid potential problems with Rule 1.5(g) and ABA Opinion 88-356, which require full disclosure in cases where the firm is billing for both associates and per diems. If a mark-up is applied, the firm should disclose this in the initial retainer or in a written notice to the client thereafter.