Queens Per Diem Attorney
Whether it’s a compliance conference or a pre-trial discussion, a trial or motion assistance, per diem attorneys provide invaluable support for lawyers in their quest to settle cases efficiently and effectively. To that end, this article, penned by Queens Supreme Court Per Diem Attorneys, equips lawyers with valuable knowledge about the court’s methodologies for ensuring adherence to legal directives and case progress.
Queens Supreme Court Per Diem Attorneys
The court’s methodologies for complying with legal directives and ensuring the progression of cases are crucial to successful practice. To that end, the court holds compliance conferences for City and UCC/Commercial cases in various parts of the court with assigned judges. Additional details and guidelines can be found on the official court website.
Additionally, to help promote consistent and fair administration of justice, the court also conducts mandatory settlement conferences for commercial and complex city cases in each part. Moreover, the court requires that certain forms be filed and signed by parties. This includes the Declaration of Parties and a Statement of Net Worth. In light of these requirements, the court’s procedures for compliance meetings and settlement conferences can be quite complex.
A per diem attorney can assist attorneys in complying with these regulations by preparing and filing these documents. Furthermore, the per diem attorney can offer guidance in drafting persuasive arguments that will be considered by the Judges at these conferences and meetings.
Queens Per Diem Attorney can also be of great help when preparing for and appearing at the important independent medical examinations (IMEs) in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. The IMEs are often lengthy and require the involvement of many experts. This can be extremely stressful for lawyers and their clients. In order to reduce the stress and save time, the attorney may engage a per diem attorney for a few hours or days to assist with preparation and appearance at the IMEs.
The use of a Per Diem lawyer is an excellent way for a small firm to get work, especially for complex cases, without having to pay hourly associate rates. However, the issue of fee division remains a hurdle for firms. The current disciplinary rule, Rule 1.5(g)(2), requires that the Hiring Firm disclose to the Judge that it is sharing fees with an unaffiliated Per Diem. However, this requirement is not necessary in cases where the Hiring Firm retains control of the matter and the Per Diem acts as equal co-counsel.
To overcome this obstacle, firms can consider deeming the Per Diem to be “of counsel” rather than hiring the Per Diem on an hourly basis. This is a valid approach, but should only be used in cases where the Per Diem shares the same firm’s professional objectives. It must also be noted that a deeming arrangement cannot be used to avoid disclosure under the disciplinary rules. Lastly, the firm must continue to meet its obligations to its own client. This can include maintaining the integrity of its records and documents and avoiding conflicts of interest.