The attorneys at your law firm would probably do everything if they could. However, there are only 24 hours in a day and only seven days in a week. Even if your firm had the benefit of unlimited time, it still wouldn’t address the tedious nature of carrying out some legal work.
What if there were an effective and simple way to outsource some tasks to a vetted, qualified appearance attorney, freeing up your firm to focus on tasks that will be of the most benefit to your clients? The good news is that this is a viable option that more and more law firms are taking advantage of, and the benefits of doing so are clear.
Say Goodbye to Time Spent Traveling
There are few things more frustrating than pulling an attorney off a project to travel across the state to make multiple court appearances. Have you ever been looking for a member of your firm only to find they’ve traveled across the county just to attend a five-minute procedural hearing? Perhaps you have a burning question that only they can answer. Now you’ll have to wait for their return or at least wait until they have a chance to use their phone.
If your firm had opted to utilize the services of a freelance appearance attorney, you wouldn’t find yourself facing such an aggravating situation. Think of how much smoother your firm would run if your attorneys were available to focus on some of the more important tasks, such as client-facing work, rather than playing the role of over-priced couriers on the other side of town. An appearance attorney can file any necessary documents with the court, saving your firm travel costs and time.
Regain a Sense of Control
Law firms and their clients live and die by deadlines. The last thing your firm needs is for a lawyer to be rushing to make a court appearance when you really need them working on the next big case.
You won’t have to stress about these types of scenarios if you work with an appearance attorney. While there is no way to plan for every obstacle fate throws your way, you can establish predictability, knowing that things will get done on time with the help of a contract attorney should the unexpected deadline pop up for a member of your law firm.
Boost Your Firm’s Productivity
Stacked court hearings, continuances granted to the other side, sitting in traffic while traveling to and from court, and the demands of your firm’s clients all serve to decimate the productivity of your staff. When you think about it, time is perhaps the most precious commodity in your firm’s possession. While you can’t add an extra hour to your firm’s day, you can help gain some time back by working with a remote contract attorney.
By working with an appearance attorney, you can help boost your firm’s productivity and billable hours. Think about the enhancement to your firm’s bottom line when your staff can focus on doing important client work, rather than spending time in document review or filing papers.
Recalibrate Your Staff’s Work-Life Balance
Even the most unrepentant workaholic is still at risk of burning out. Striking a proper work-life balance can help your staff attorneys remain happy and ultimately more productive, helping to further boost your firm’s reputation and attract more clients.
Often, it may seem like the only way to better spread the work around is to hire additional staff, but doing so means paying additional salaries, covering the costs of additional benefits, and other expenses that may require your firm to work harder than ever just to catch-up. However, a contract attorney cost is minimal and can help shoulder some of your firm’s workload without requiring you to bring on more staff. This can ease the burden on others, leading to a staff that feels more refreshed and ready to meet the challenges of the day with a clear head.
Don’t Worry About Competency
Everything about a contract attorney may sound great, but your firm may still have concerns about the skills and competency of an appearance attorney. This is entirely understandable. The last thing you want is for your firm’s reputation to take a hit due to a fly-by-night approach to legal services. However, by using a professional company that matches contract attorneys with law firms, you can rest assured that your firm is being properly represented and your clients are getting the high-quality legal services they’ve come to expect from your law firm.
But What About a Contract Attorney’s Cost?
You may believe that the cost of hiring a contract attorney will effectively eat up any potential savings your firm might achieve. However, you don’t have to worry about paying a freelance attorney at the same rate you would your in-house attorneys. Some vendor platforms utilize a flat fee when it comes to court appearance. Other platforms, such as Docketly, take a more dynamic, cost-effective approach when setting prices for court appearances. Bundle pricing, market discounts, and good old supply and demand combine to help maximize the savings to your firm. Docketly also enables law firms and contract attorneys to negotiate prices, a feature few other vendors offer to their clients.
Docketly Can Help Your Firm Benefit from an Appearance Attorney
Docketly is on the cutting-edge of providing intuitive, next-level technology designed to provide law firms with premier, on-demand solutions to issues involving appearance counsel and other legal tasks. Our nationwide network consists of more than 10,000 professional attorneys, representing all disciplines and areas of practice. The number of our available contract attorneys is growing every day, ensuring your firm is likely to find a perfect match to help handle a wide range of legal matters.
We’re serious about the performance of our appearance attorneys, only working with those who are prepared, professional and punctual. To learn more about how we can boost the bottom line of your law firm, we invite you to schedule a demo with us today.
