Technology FridayAs promised, today we’ll be taking a look at the second of two vendors from LegalTech NYC 2013 that provide a means by which lawyers may appear by phone where permission of the court/agency has been granted to do so.

Like CourtCall, AppearByPhone promises a simple-to-use phone conferencing service bringing attorneys into the courtroom, on schedule, with no wasted time to the parties. Using conference calling, they set up the calls and connect attorneys with ALJs, promising a minimal waiting time for the attorney.

AppearByPhone accomplishes this by taking the entire dialing, connecting, and waiting process out of the hands of busy ALJs and attorneys. With the Court’s permission, they will even install a dedicated AppearByPhone phone line and speakerphone equipment, if necessary. The line and phone equipment is free of charge, freeing up existing phone lines.

When an ALJ is ready for an AppearByPhone matter, they connects the attorney to the AppearByPhonecourtroom immediately.  They boast dedicated representatives, in a U.S. based call center, that attend to every call and that are in contact with court’s clerks throughout the day, remaining informed of any and all delays or rescheduling. They then communicate what is going on with the calendar to the attorney, who can continue working at his/her desk until the ALJ is ready to hear the matter. When the ALJ is ready for the appearance, AppearByPhone makes the connection. According to AppearByPhone, once the call is connected, they make sure that the ALJ and the attorneys can clearly hear each other, and continue to monitor the call quality to assure that everyone is heard as clearly as if they were standing in the room.

AppearByPhone never charges the court/agency. While pricing varies, attorneys pay a small flat fee— typically not exceeding $55— far less than what it would cost them to travel to the court, wait, appear, and travel back. Finally, AppearByPhone will create custom reports for the agency and can provide a record of appearances and any other details the ALJ or agency requests.

For more information, AppearByPhone may be reached by phone at 800-778-6338, or by email to sales@appearbyphone.com.

More to come on LegalTech vendors next Friday.

AppearByPhone
Cost: $55 per appearance

Pros
-Free to courts/judges
-Saves court time
-Saves attorneys time (minimal hold-time)
-Saves respondent’s money
-Reduces travel, helping to reduce fuel resulting in less carbon emissions

Cons
-None

 


No consideration of any kind has been accepted for this review. The opinions expressed herein are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of NYSALJA.

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