Per Diem Lawyers
Lawyers who work on a temporary basis, often to make court appearances or handle specific legal tasks, are known as Per Diem Lawyers NY. Their ability to respond to requests for on-demand support makes them a valuable resource in times of need.
When it comes to finding per-diem attorneys, New York lawyers have plenty of options. For example, attorneys who register with a platform that allows them to post appearances online can find a qualified lawyer to cover an appearance in minutes. AppearMe enables attorneys to create an appearance announcement, which is then broadcast to thousands of attorneys. The first attorney who claims the appearance is the one who will get paid, based on a standard loadstar fee (hours multiplied by the lawyer’s hourly rate).
The availability of such services has helped to relieve some lawyers of the burden that comes with the demands of a full-time practice and the inability to shift their focus to different matters. But it also reveals some lawyers’ frustrations and highlights the limitations of such methods to fill short-term needs.
While Big Law firms, where partners earn upward of $1 million a year, have been buoyed by corporate dealmaking and big-ticket bankruptcies and lease renegotiations, smaller firms and solo practitioners are having trouble making ends meet. Many of them, particularly those whose practices depend on court appearances, have seen their income decline since the pandemic began.
Some have stopped practicing entirely, while others have found ways to diversify their careers. For example, New York lawyer Barry Seidel, who was profiled in the New York Law Journal in 1999 for building a substantial Queens Supreme Court practice that relied on per-diem work, said his earnings dropped by half and he had to switch to probate and estates to stay busy.
For those who continue to practice, however, the situation remains difficult. With courthouses operating at reduced capacity, many conferences that used to be held in person are now being conducted via phone or video conference. And for some of the small firms and solo practitioners who depend on per-diems, the shortened schedule has led to their caseloads shrinking and even cancelling.
The shortage of judges has led Queens to change the way it handles motions, with all motions being called at 2:15 PM Monday – Thursday in a single room. The result is that it can take up to four hours to get through the calendar a day, with cases sometimes not called until past 4 PM.
While some attorneys may find themselves facing scheduling conflicts or multiple appearances on the same day, others have a more ominous problem: a matter with a deadline fast approaching. These situations can be a real challenge to manage, and they can quickly overwhelm lawyers who don’t have the time or resources to handle them on their own. That’s where per-diem attorneys come in, helping attorneys to free up time for other pressing matters by covering urgent assignments.