When workloads increase dramatically (and sometimes unexpectedly) you may find yourself in need of help and fast. Of course, a per diem attorney can be the perfect solution.
You may also find yourself in a position where currently you aren’t yet ready to hire on another associate as an employee, but can’t comfortably handle by yourself the mounting mounds of incoming mail laden with discovery demands, responses, motion practice, and more.
Until you’re ready to invest in another employee for your firm, a per diem can be the perfect interim solution, whether it’s over the course of days or weeks or even months. Save yourself the training, payroll and benefits with a per diem attorney like Stacey.
After having spent nearly two decades as an employee herself, Stacey’s currently serves as a per diem for those either in need of a “quick fix” or a more long-term (but nevertheless temporary) solution.
Question: Is there a resume I can review?
Answer: Stacey’s resume can be reviewed here; you can even download a PDF version of it.
Question: Are there any references that I can consult?
Answer: Absolutely. Stacey’s references can be seen here and you can download a PDF version, as well.
Question: May I see some writing samples?
Answer: Of course. Various writing samples can be downloaded, one zip file at a time, here and a more recent writing sample of Stacey’s can be found in the form of her blog posts, including one entitled: New York Automobile Threshold Law: The Ultimate Guide.
Question: What type of assignments does Stacey take?
Answer: She has an extensive background in personal injury cases, including automobile accidents, slip/trip/fall cases, dog bite cases, Labor Law, insurance coverage litigation, etc. Stacey also has experience concerning more general forms of litigation and lawsuits related to corporate law. (But she’s open to taking assignments having to do with all sorts of case work).
Question: Does Stacey handle all assignments herself?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Does Stacey utilize AI (Artificial Intelligence) to perform her assignments?
Answer: NO.
Question: How far in advance must I contact Stacey to request her assistance?
Answer: Ideally a day in advance; however, in an emergency if she is capable of helping you the same day the request is made, she will.
Question: How do I place an order?
Answer: You can contact Stacey in a variety of ways, just visit her Contact page and email her or call her. She’ll respond ASAP.
Question: What are Stacey’s hourly rates?
Answer: Stacey charges $100.00 an hour for the virtual services that she performs.
Question: What forms of payment does Stacey accept and what are her terms?
Answer: Stacey accepts credit cards, debit cards and even payments issued via PayPal. She can accept checks but payment must be promptly issued. The terms are simple: payment is due at the time services are completed. (No exceptions).
➡️ That means that Stacey will not agree to take payment when a case settles or on a net 30 basis, etc.
If work is assigned and a budget confirmed, you must be prepared to pay in full once the work and corresponding invoice is submitted to you.
Question: How is an account set up for virtual per diem work?
Answer: As a new Per Diem services client, you will be asked to complete our client intake form and when you provide your billing information, you will not be immediately invoiced. (By completing the form, your payment data will be safely stored for future use and billing efficiency).
Question: How is billing handled?
Answer: The budget for each project will be discussed and agreed upon by both your office and Stacey herself, and an email will be sent confirming each project, its parameters and the budget before work begins.
You must provide a response via email documenting your approval of the budget before work begins.
When Stacey completes her work, an invoice will be generated and presented to your office for your approval.
Once your approval is transmitted via email, the payment will be processed utilizing the information previously supplied on the Per Diem services client.
Question: Can Stacey cover court or handle depositions for me?
Answer: Unfortunately, not anymore. Stacey was a full-service litigator from late 1998 to late summer of 2017, making appearances in Supreme Court, New York County to Supreme Court, Sullivan County and every county in between. (The Bronx County courthouse was where she would spend the majority of her time). However, Stacey was quarantined to home on an ongoing basis, beginning late 2017, as a result of suffering from extreme immunodeficiency due to Lyme disease. From that time onward, Stacey has been able to provide per diem services on a virtual basis only.
Question: Does Stacey carry malpractice insurance?
Answer: No. She does not have clients of her own. She does not appear for law offices as an “of counsel” attorney, especially since she does not cover court appearances or depositions anymore. In addition, the work that she drafts is for your office to put in final and file under your name, meaning you have “authority to bind” on behalf of your client. Stacey does not, as she may be a per diem attorney but she is not, per se, an “of counsel” attorney.
Question: What if I want Stacey to serve my office “of counsel” so that she can sign documents she creates (including motions) on behalf of our office?
Answer: As the clients are still yours and not Stacey’s, you will need to contact your malpractice insurance carrier to obtain rates and provide coverage for the work that she does on behalf of your clients where she specifically will have “authority to bind.” Your carrier will need an approximation of the number of hours a week that you anticipate Stacey will perform “of counsel” work for your firm (ex: five hours a week).
Question: Can I grant Stacey access to all of my digital files (e.g. Dropbox, FileVine) to make things easier for everyone?
Answer: No. Stacey is not an employee of any firm, including your firm. Granting her wholesale access to your files can work to make her “an employee in fact,” which she is not. She is an independent contractor.
You CAN, of course, grant her access to selected documents from a particular file that are necessary for her to complete her assignment in a variety of ways: PDFs, zip files, Dropbox links and FileVine links.
But you cannot grant Stacey, carte blanche, access to all of your office’s files, physically and/or digitally, because that is one way to have her potentially found by the Department of Labor to be an “employee in fact” which could lead to your office being responsible for, amongst other items, unfiled payroll taxes as assessed by the IRS and/or NYS Department of Labor. We don’t want that!
Question: Does it matter if I send Stacey work every single week and/or is there a limit on how many assignments I can send her at any given time?
Answer: NO. Stacey doesn’t become an “employee in fact” just because you send her work every single week.
It also doesn’t matter how much or how little work you send her from week to week (in terms of her specifically being deemed an “employee in fact”).
What Stacey can’t do is promise you exclusivity, meaning that she can only work for you/your office.
In New York State, if it just so happens to work out that, in a given week, you’re the only attorney/firm who sends Stacey work and no one else does, that, alone, does not work to make her “an employee in fact.”
The important point is that she’s capable of accepting work from multiple firms at any given time, which is definitely the case.
During any given week she can work with anywhere from two to four firms. (Stacey can take it; she’s definitely used to working long hours thanks to her previous “big firm” experience).
Question: Can Stacey do work under an independent contractor agreement with my office?
Answer: Absolutely she can, especially if you wish to offer her projects on a regular basis.