There may be a time when you appear at court on a hearing for a client only to find out there is an additional hearing on the docket for the same client that you have no knowledge of. What happens then? If you feel you should stand in or are requested by the court to stand in, we call those unscheduled hearings. The following explains how you can still report on this hearing through Docketly and possibly earn a fee.
Go ahead and finish up the report for the hearing you were officially scheduled to cover just like normal. After you save the report, there will be a new button on top of the page called "Add Unscheduled Hearing". Click that.
You can now let our clients know when you covered a hearing for them which was not posted through Docketly. After you click that button, you will be brought to a short screen which asks them to input the case information and your report:
Once you fill out the report for that hearing and click Save, the hearing will be unpublished in our system. An email is sent to our client informing them of the situation and requesting action. This is where our client needs to authorize or deny the unscheduled hearing.
Please keep in mind that there are many reasons why our clients might deny your request. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
This feature is only available when you create the report. Once it is gone, we cannot assist you because the hearing has already gone to billing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will I get paid for this hearing?
A: We can't do anything until the client approves or denies the request. We actually hold up the other hearings you worked for that client as well and then calculate the new total bill once action is taken by the client.Q: How much will I get paid for this hearing?
A: The price will be set once the client approves the hearing and sets the type of hearing that it was. Then we will take the normal bundling discount and update prices accordingly. Basically, if the client approves, you will get paid the same amount as if you were given that bundle of hearings originally.Q: What if I was appearing for client A but this is for client B (who I have no hearings for)?
A: We currently do not offer a solution to this situation. We suggest that you do not appear in that case.