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The Times - 12th October 2004
Get a life lawyers can go freelance
IF YOU are an experienced lawyer and like the thought of working nine months of the year with three months off, going freelance is your answer.
An increasing number of lawyers are going down that route, following a trend already popular in America, leading to a more flexible working life, excellent pay - and a more satisfying social life. Firms are also increasingly accommodating lawyers wishing to work flexible hours.
One freelance lawyer is working in London for a leading US firm after a stint at a top City firm, and is earning more than she was as an employed solicitor. She has dual qualifications in Canada and the UK and says many of her lawyer friends in Canada have decided to go freelance in the past five years. "I felt stifled in the environment I was in," she says. "My area of practice was so specialised that I would have been hireable by only about ten firms worldwide. Being freelance allows me to do eight or nine months a year then have three months to go travelling which would not be possible if I was in employment."
She adds: "You have control of your career." And there have been no problems joining an existing team. "You are made to feel part of the team. You are there to finish the deal then leave. You have no worries about billing and the hours worked."
The English are rather wary about going freelance and hiring temporary lawyers. Lawyers Direct is a different set-up, managing experienced consultant lawyers who invariably work from home. James Knight, the managing director, says: "One of the primary drivers leading to the setting up of Lawyers Direct was the very strong unrequited demand in the legal profession from experienced solicitors looking for flexible working alternatives. As a result, the demand we have experienced has been very strong: more than 800 applications in the past 12 months alone."
With a 24/7 lifestyle becoming less attractive, it is clear that the legal profession is adaptable, and lawyers can strike a balance. And there can't be many professions in which you can remain highly paid and have three months holiday a year. Nicola Laver
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