One
of
the
issues
that
many
small
firm
lawyers
face
is
they
often
need
to
appear
at
multiple
court
appearances
at
the
same
time. Although
larger
firms
might
have
the
resources
to
send
multiple
attorneys
to
court
appearances
so
lawyers
do
not
need
to
be
in
the
same
place
at
the
same
time,
small
firm
lawyers
may
not
have
such
resources. Indeed,
I
found
myself
needing
to
attend
two
court
appearances
at
the
same
time
earlier
this
year
in
two
separate
courthouses.
However,
by
keeping
a
few
strategies
in
mind,
it
can
be
easier
to
attend
multiple
court
appearances
at
the
same
time.
Proximity
Perhaps
the
most
important
factor
when
handling
multiple
court
appearances
at
once
is
the
proximity
of
the
court
appearances.
It
is
much
easier
to
handle
multiple
court
appearances
at
once
if
they
are
in
the
same
courthouse,
or
at
least
in
courthouses
that
are
located
next
to
each
other. Whenever
I
have
had
to
attend
multiple
court
appearances
at
once,
the
appearances
were
either
in
the
same
courthouse
or
in
courthouses
located
a
short
distance
from
each
other.
If
the
court
appearances
are
not
in
the
same
location,
one
option
is
to
request
that
one
of
the
appearances
be
held
virtually. Lawyers
can
typically
handle
one
virtual
appearance
while
they
wait
for
their
case
to
be
called
on
another
appearance. Although
I
have
never
done
this
myself,
I
have
been
on
virtual
court
appearances
several
times
in
which
my
adversaries
were
in
court
for
other
obligations,
and
court
officers
were
flexible
in
accommodating
those
lawyers.
Communication
It
is
important
to
communicate
with
adversaries
if
you
need
to
attend
multiple
court
appearances
at
once. Sometimes
it
is
beneficial
to
notify
an
adversary
beforehand
or
at
least
write
your
phone
number
and
an
explanation
of
the
situation
next
to
the
case
listing
outside
the
courtroom
so
that
an
adversary
can
contact
you
and
is
aware
of
the
conflict.
Earlier
this
year,
I
had
a
conference
that
began
at
10:30
a.m.
sharp
and
another
appearance
that
required
my
adversary
and
myself
to
complete
a
stipulation
anytime
starting
at
9:30
a.m. I
told
my
adversary
about
the
time
conflict,
and
I
asked
if
my
adversary
could
appear
in
the
courthouse
at
9:30
a.m.
sharp
so
that
we
could
complete
the
stipulation
and
I
could
hoof
it
to
my
other
court
appearance. Fortunately,
my
adversary
appeared
in
court
early,
and
I
was
able
to
complete
the
first
court
appearance
with
plenty
of
time
to
get
to
the
second
appearance. Not
all
adversaries
are
flexible,
but
some
might
help
you
make
it
to
multiple
court
appearances.
Adjournments
There
are
certain
times
when
a
lawyer
cannot
realistically
be
in
two
places
at
once.
This
usually
involves
conferences
or
other
appearances
that
are
scheduled
for
a
specific
time
and
place
with
no
flexibility
about
when
lawyers
need
to
appear. In
such
instances,
lawyers
can
usually
ask
for
an
adjournment.
Most
of
the
time,
courts
are
flexible
when
it
comes
to
adjournments,
and
in
some
instances,
court
rules
may
require
courts
to
adjourn
appearances
if
a
lawyer
is
engaged
in
another
appearance. However,
adjournments
usually
require
the
consent
of
an
adversary. As
a
result,
it
usually
pays
to
have
a
good
relationship
with
adversaries
so
that
it
is
easier
to
request
adjournments
or
other
courtesies.
All
told,
it
can
be
difficult
to
handle
multiple
appearances
at
the
same
time
as
a
small
firm
lawyer. By
keeping
a
few
strategies
in
mind,
lawyers
can
more
easier
juggle
multiple
court
appearances
at
once.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of
The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of
Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at
[email protected]