Hiring a Freelance Lawyer a Solution for Your Corporate Legal Needs
Why Hiring a Freelance Lawyer Is an Effective Solution for Your Corporate Legal Needs ?
A Growing Trend
According to Statistics Canada, 2017, over 15% of the national workforce is self-employed. These numbers are on the rise, since it has been predicted that by 2020, approximately 45% of Canadians will be participating in some form of freelance work, whether as their main source of income or as a complement to their existing employment (QuickBooks Canada, 2017).
Freelancing is slowly changing the face of the Canadian workforce across many fields, including the legal industry. Freelance lawyers, also called contract lawyers or independent lawyers, offer their legal expertise to firms or SMEs for specific mandates. Instead of working for an employer, these freelancers work on mandates that not suit their interests, skills and needs.
A Beneficial Freelancing Model for Independent Lawyers, Law Firms and SMEs
There are several advantages to using the freelance model in the practice of law. Law firms and SMEs can greatly benefit from this solution, whether it’s for sporadic help due to staffing issues, specific expertise on a case or even to save on costs. Discover why hiring a freelance lawyer can be a practical solution to your legal needs.
Why Law Firms and SMEs Hire Freelance Lawyers
It’s a practical solution to receive periodic help
Law firms and corporate legal teams can stay ahead of the game by hiring freelance legal counsel. Workloads can spike without notice due to unexpected circumstances. Therefore, hiring a contract lawyer can decrease the workload and take the pressure off the rest of the staff until the busy period is over.
It helps fulfill temporary staffing needs
Any employer knows that full-time employees could potentially take a temporary leave of absence. Whether it’s for a parental leave, sabbatical or sick leave, employers must ensure that productivity is preserved until their in-house lawyer returns. Contract lawyers can fill those needs thanks to flexible terms.
It’s a great way to source the expertise you need
If the in-house legal counsel doesn’t have the required expertise to fulfill a task, an independent lawyer with the skills needed just might be the best solution. Furthermore, it is more cost-effective to hire a freelance lawyer with the required expertise for unique tasks than it is to train an employee.
It’s a cost-effective solution
We just mentioned the cost effectiveness of hiring freelance legal experts for one-time needs. Whether you’re seeking legal counsel for a specific task or need extra help on an important case, it makes more financial sense to hire someone on a contract basis. Freelancers offer their services at various price ranges – it’s up to the SME or law firm to determine the budget and find the expertise they need at the right price.
It allows for more flexibility
One of the advantages of hiring an independent lawyer is for the flexible terms they offer. You can request their expertise only when necessary – for example during high season or an increase in workload. Paying full-time employees when the workload is lighter can become quite costly, which is why this added flexibility puts less pressure on your budget.
Why Lawyers Choose this Career Path
1. They benefit from a greater independence
Unlike their colleagues working as full-time employees, independent lawyers have better control over their professional life. They choose which mandates they wish to work on, which clients they want to work with in addition to setting their own terms and determining their own schedule. Not only does this make them more motivated, but it can also optimize their performance.
2. They have a better work-life balance
Regardless of the type of freelance work performed, from copywriting to multimedia, information technology or legal counsel, independent workers tend to benefit from a better work-life balance than their full-time peers. The ability to determine their own schedule and being their own boss means they can plan their work around their needs, including various family and social commitments.
3: They can take control of their professional life
With independence comes control. Contract lawyers can accept mandates within their realm of expertise or that present an interesting challenge. Freelance work allows them to focus their energies on their interests.
4: They can increase their revenue based on their goals
Independent lawyers have the freedom to work on as many mandates as they want. They can also establish their rates based on the level of complexity and experienced required to fulfill a mandate. The more freelance lawyers work, the more their revenue increases. All depends on the income goals they’ve set for themselves.
5: They have the freedom to work from anywhere
One of the most appealing incentives of working as a freelancer is the ability to work from anywhere in the world. Whether they work from the beach, from home or from a coffee shop, freelancers don’t have to show up in some office environment five days a week. This is also true for contract lawyers unless the mandate requires on-site work.
How to Become a Freelance Lawyer
Making the leap into the world of freelancing isn’t always easy. Freelance lawyers are often referred through professional or personal networks, which means those without a vast network can’t always count on their contacts to find work. Clients can also experience this situation due to lack of contacts, budget or time to find the right contract lawyer for a specific mandate.
New solutions are slowly appearing to cater to this unique model, including technology. There are now online platforms that help independent lawyers find mandates, in addition to helping clients find the legal expertise they need.
For instance, Montreal lawyers who are considering making the leap into freelance should explore Jurisflex’s Freelance Lawyer Platform to gain a better understanding of their job market. These platforms are popping up all over the world, and freelance lawyers everywhere can sign up on the platform that best suits them and start offering their expertise. When it comes to choosing a platform, one of the key factors is ensuring that it is user-friendly. This will facilitate the application process for the freelance lawyer, as well as make it easier for clients to find legal counsel that meets their needs.
In short, freelance legal counsel has many benefits, including flexibility, cost effectiveness, temporary staffing fulfillment and more. Regardless which side you’re on, it’s a win-win situation for both clients and contract lawyers.
A Growing Trend
According to Statistics Canada, 2017, over 15% of the national workforce is self-employed. These numbers are on the rise, since it has been predicted that by 2020, approximately 45% of Canadians will be participating in some form of freelance work, whether as their main source of income or as a complement to their existing employment (QuickBooks Canada, 2017).
Freelancing is slowly changing the face of the Canadian workforce across many fields, including the legal industry. Freelance lawyers, also called contract lawyers or independent lawyers, offer their legal expertise to firms or SMEs for specific mandates. Instead of working for an employer, these freelancers work on mandates that not suit their interests, skills and needs.
A Beneficial Freelancing Model for Independent Lawyers, Law Firms and SMEs
There are several advantages to using the freelance model in the practice of law. Law firms and SMEs can greatly benefit from this solution, whether it’s for sporadic help due to staffing issues, specific expertise on a case or even to save on costs. Discover why hiring a freelance lawyer can be a practical solution to your legal needs.
Why Law Firms and SMEs Hire Freelance Lawyers
It’s a practical solution to receive periodic help
Law firms and corporate legal teams can stay ahead of the game by hiring freelance legal counsel. Workloads can spike without notice due to unexpected circumstances. Therefore, hiring a contract lawyer can decrease the workload and take the pressure off the rest of the staff until the busy period is over.
It helps fulfill temporary staffing needs
Any employer knows that full-time employees could potentially take a temporary leave of absence. Whether it’s for a parental leave, sabbatical or sick leave, employers must ensure that productivity is preserved until their in-house lawyer returns. Contract lawyers can fill those needs thanks to flexible terms.
It’s a great way to source the expertise you need
If the in-house legal counsel doesn’t have the required expertise to fulfill a task, an independent lawyer with the skills needed just might be the best solution. Furthermore, it is more cost-effective to hire a freelance lawyer with the required expertise for unique tasks than it is to train an employee.
It’s a cost-effective solution
We just mentioned the cost effectiveness of hiring freelance legal experts for one-time needs. Whether you’re seeking legal counsel for a specific task or need extra help on an important case, it makes more financial sense to hire someone on a contract basis. Freelancers offer their services at various price ranges – it’s up to the SME or law firm to determine the budget and find the expertise they need at the right price.
It allows for more flexibility
One of the advantages of hiring an independent lawyer is for the flexible terms they offer. You can request their expertise only when necessary – for example during high season or an increase in workload. Paying full-time employees when the workload is lighter can become quite costly, which is why this added flexibility puts less pressure on your budget.
Why Lawyers Choose this Career Path
1. They benefit from a greater independence
Unlike their colleagues working as full-time employees, independent lawyers have better control over their professional life. They choose which mandates they wish to work on, which clients they want to work with in addition to setting their own terms and determining their own schedule. Not only does this make them more motivated, but it can also optimize their performance.
2. They have a better work-life balance
Regardless of the type of freelance work performed, from copywriting to multimedia, information technology or legal counsel, independent workers tend to benefit from a better work-life balance than their full-time peers. The ability to determine their own schedule and being their own boss means they can plan their work around their needs, including various family and social commitments.
3: They can take control of their professional life
With independence comes control. Contract lawyers can accept mandates within their realm of expertise or that present an interesting challenge. Freelance work allows them to focus their energies on their interests.
4: They can increase their revenue based on their goals
Independent lawyers have the freedom to work on as many mandates as they want. They can also establish their rates based on the level of complexity and experienced required to fulfill a mandate. The more freelance lawyers work, the more their revenue increases. All depends on the income goals they’ve set for themselves.
5: They have the freedom to work from anywhere
One of the most appealing incentives of working as a freelancer is the ability to work from anywhere in the world. Whether they work from the beach, from home or from a coffee shop, freelancers don’t have to show up in some office environment five days a week. This is also true for contract lawyers unless the mandate requires on-site work.
How to Become a Freelance Lawyer
Making the leap into the world of freelancing isn’t always easy. Freelance lawyers are often referred through professional or personal networks, which means those without a vast network can’t always count on their contacts to find work. Clients can also experience this situation due to lack of contacts, budget or time to find the right contract lawyer for a specific mandate.
New solutions are slowly appearing to cater to this unique model, including technology. There are now online platforms that help independent lawyers find mandates, in addition to helping clients find the legal expertise they need.
For instance, Montreal lawyers who are considering making the leap into freelance should explore Jurisflex’s Freelance Lawyer Platform to gain a better understanding of their job market. These platforms are popping up all over the world, and freelance lawyers everywhere can sign up on the platform that best suits them and start offering their expertise. When it comes to choosing a platform, one of the key factors is ensuring that it is user-friendly. This will facilitate the application process for the freelance lawyer, as well as make it easier for clients to find legal counsel that meets their needs.
In short, freelance legal counsel has many benefits, including flexibility, cost effectiveness, temporary staffing fulfillment and more. Regardless which side you’re on, it’s a win-win situation for both clients and contract lawyers.
Tags : Law Guide