Have more questions about obtaining local counsel in Pittsburgh or the surrounding areas of Pennsylvania?
Here are some more answers!
How do I find a good — and immediately available — attorney to represent me locally in a place where I do not live, or where I no longer live?
ANSWER: This is common. What if you need a lawyer in Western PA, but you don’t live there any more, or you were only passing through, when an incident happened, making me need a lawyer? Can you trust Google? The local bar association? Click here.
What if I already have a lawyer, in my home state (outside of Pennsylvania), but I need local counsel for a matter in Western PA?
ANSWER: You have a few options. First, you can have local counsel handle the matter entirely, especially if your attorney wants nothing to do with the case, if, for example, she’s not admitted in the state where your case exists and she’s not interested in pursuing the matter any further.
Or, if your attorney wants to remain involved, you can hire both your attorney and local counsel. Or, you can hire local counsel for the limited purpose to have your lawyer admitted “pro hac vice” to serve as your lawyer locally. But you may want to rely on local counsel to navigate local rules. Click here to learn about the pro hac vice process.
Let’s say I want to keep my attorney as general counsel, but I want to hire local counsel, additionally. What issues can come up?
ANSWER: Several issues come into play, but none are “earth shattering,” as long as you give this concept some thought, earl on.
First, how are legal fees handled? For example, do you have to pay twice for two attorneys for the same work? If the lawyer is charging an hourly fee, experience lawyers can break up the work so you’re not getting billed for the same work, twice. And even better, if the case is handled on a contingency fee, such as 1/3 of the recovery. There, you often will get “two-for-the-price-of-one,” since most lawyers will split the fee, charging you no more than 1/3 of the recovery total.
But there can be attorney-fee issues with hiring two lawyers for one task. Click here to learn more.
Can Pro Hac Vice Status be Revoked?
ANSWER. Yes. This involves a privilege not a right. Thus, the standard for revocation is vague, but likely permissible. 231 Pa. Code § 1012.1 provides:
(f) The court may revoke an admission pro hac vice sua sponte or upon the motion of a party, if it determines, after a hearing or other meaningful opportunity to respond, the continued admission pro hac vice is inappropriate or inadvisable.
Click here to learn more.
What Are the Advantages of Hiring Representation In PA?
If you live outside of Western PA, you might have a lawyer — local to your home state — that you trust. However, hiring a Western PA lawyer to serve as local counsel has advantages. Lawyers who practice mainly in Western PA:
- Know the local judges and know their practices, to save time by knowing who certain judges tend to rule on specific issues, and,
- Are familiar with local procedural rules. For example, every state — and county within each state — has its own local rules. In Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), has a new local rule requiring civil litigants to participate in mediation, a little like federal court. However, neighboring Butler and Beaver County PA have no such rule.
When are you Required to Hire Local Counsel?
ANSWER. Many instances exist where you may be required to hire an attorney in Western Pennsylvania to serve as your local counsel. Click here the answer to the question.
