Compelling Reasons to Why Freelance Lawyers Make Sense

The legal industry is evolving, and so is the paradigm of what it takes for a law firm to achieve a competitive edge.

For many attorneys, looking beyond the traditional law firm model is what makes sense at the moment. The desire to move away from the industry norms has ushered in a new legal practice trend—freelance lawyering.

But freelance lawyering isn’t a new concept.

Lawyers have been performing legal tasks for other attorneys for over a decade, but the practice only gained traction recently. And according to a 2019 Altman Weil report on law firms in transition, the use of contract lawyers is expected to rise globally.

And this begs the question: Why are freelance lawyers on demand?

We’ll look into the various reasons why law firms are gravitating towards freelance lawyering and why freelance lawyers make sense.

Table of Contents

1. Fosters Business Growth

Marketing and business development are crucial to any law firm—big or small. To grow or even sustain your practice, you should be spending at least 25% of your time marketing and building fruitful business relationships.

But when your plate is full with case after case, it can be hard to find time for marketing and developing business.

Delegating legal work to an experienced freelance attorney can free time for you to engage in other profitable activities. A freelance attorney can also help grow your business by assisting you in preparing articles for publication or presentation purposes.

2. Saves Your Firm’s Money

Hiring a freelance attorney allows firms to remain competitive from a cost perspective.

And since contract attorney rates are usually less compared to the rates charged by traditional firms, law firms can lower their legal fees by 25-50% by hiring a freelance attorney, then pass the savings on to their clients.

Contract lawyers charge less because they work independently, hence don’t incur the same overhead costs as brick-and-mortar firms.

Additionally, most freelance lawyers charge a flat fee rate instead of the traditional hourly rate approach, where you may end up footing a higher bill than expected. Thus, a flat fee rate keeps the cost low and at the same time makes the pricing transparent and manageable.

3. No Costs of Benefits

Hiring a freelance attorney gives you flexibility in your legal staff.

You can hire a contract lawyer when you have more caseload than you can handle, then let them go once the job is done. Doing so offers some cost-saving benefits.

For instance, you don’t have to pay health care insurance and 401 (K) benefits since they are independent contractors, not employees. Similarly, you’ll not have to worry about vacation days that are often paid for by the firm.

4. Increases Productivity

As a solo practitioner or small firm, your income is capped by the number of cases you can manage at any given time.

Hiring a freelance attorney allows you to increase your caseload and handle more clients since you’re practically getting outside help. Delegating work to a freelance lawyer also enables you to manage cases quickly and efficiently.

5. Expands Your Area of Practice

The legal world is a complex one, full of niche specialities.

Even if general practice attorneys exist, it’s hard to find a lawyer who’s an expert in every area of law. When you get a client who needs legal services in an area of law you’re not familiar with, hiring a freelance lawyer with expertise in the required field of law can make you look like a pro.

Wrapping Up

No one can deny the inevitable benefits that come with hiring a freelance lawyer. Aside from the above benefits, delegating legal tasks to a contractor allows the hiring attorney to have a better work/life balance.

On the downside, it can be hard to determine whether the candidate will be right for the job. Not to mention that it can take time for them to understand your processes and policies.