Legal Definitions - engagement slip

An engagement slip is a formal written notification that an attorney sends to a court in Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to inform the court that the attorney is already professionally committed to appearing in a different court on a specific date and time. This means the attorney cannot attend a scheduled proceeding in the first court as planned because they are obligated to be elsewhere.

This mechanism is crucial for managing scheduling conflicts that arise when a lawyer has simultaneous professional responsibilities in separate judicial venues.

• Example 1: Attorney Rodriguez is representing a client in a complex civil trial that is expected to last several days in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. During the trial, a judge in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas unexpectedly schedules a critical pre-trial motion hearing for another one of Attorney Rodriguez's clients on a day when the Philadelphia trial is still actively underway.

  Illustration: Attorney Rodriguez would file an engagement slip with the Montgomery County Court. This document would formally explain that she is professionally engaged in the Philadelphia civil trial and therefore cannot appear for the pre-trial motion hearing as scheduled. This notification allows the Montgomery County Court to reschedule the hearing without penalizing Attorney Rodriguez or her client for the unavoidable conflict.

• Example 2: A public defender, Ms. Chen, has a client's preliminary hearing scheduled for 9:00 AM in a municipal court in Allegheny County. On the same morning, she receives a notice that a different client's probation violation hearing has been set for 9:30 AM in the Court of Common Pleas in a neighboring county, Westmoreland County. Given the travel time and the overlapping start times, it's impossible for her to be in both places.

  Illustration: Ms. Chen's office would submit an engagement slip to the Westmoreland County Court. This slip would inform the court that Ms. Chen is already professionally obligated to appear at the preliminary hearing in Allegheny County, making her unavailable for the probation violation hearing. The Westmoreland County Court would then typically work to reschedule the hearing to accommodate her prior commitment.

• Example 3: Mr. Davis, an attorney specializing in real estate law, has a property dispute arbitration scheduled for 10:00 AM in a private arbitration forum, which is considered a professional engagement. Concurrently, a judge in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas schedules a mandatory settlement conference for another one of Mr. Davis's clients in a different real estate case for 10:30 AM on the same day.

  Illustration: Mr. Davis would prepare and file an engagement slip with the Chester County Court. This slip would notify the court that he is professionally engaged with the arbitration, which prevents his timely appearance at the settlement conference. The Chester County Court would then typically reschedule the conference to a date when Mr. Davis is available.