More and more lawyers are starting to move into the freelance domain. It’s a popular reason as you get to set your own rates and it is much cheaper than creating your own law firm. After all, unless you are the owner of a firm, there will always be people above you that take the best cases or decide how much you get paid.
Understandably, freelancing is the way to go, and it can be highly beneficial. But, if you want to make it as a freelance attorney, here are some tips to help you get off on the right foot:
Specialize
The legal world is absolutely massive and there are so many different areas of law to focus on. What you should do is aim to specialize in a particular area. For example, personal injuries, business law, criminal law, etc. This makes your life easier as you can narrow your search for clients down to a niche. You could also undergo specialist qualifications in your area, so you can present yourself as wildly qualified to take on the case. Also, when people are hiring lawyers, they tend to prefer hiring experts. If you present yourself as a jack of all trades, they might not want to hire you.
Do Pro Bono Work
It is worth working pro bono for a little bit when you start out. Or, this is something you can do throughout your career alongside the paid work. Effectively, you offer your legal services for free, meaning people can access a lawyer if they can’t afford one. This does two things for your career:
- It massively boosts your reputation as people see you as a genuinely nice lawyer that’s interested in helping people rather than just getting paid. Therefore, more people will be interested in paying for your services.
- It helps you gain some feedback and recommendations to start generating reviews that make you seem like a great lawyer. After all, people will trust you if you have many cases under your belt with many praises from clients.
Consider Getting an Agent
Yes, lawyers can have agents! As shown on elitelawyermanagement.com, you can have a PR firm work as an agent for you to help you with a series of things. Obviously, an agency can help with your reputation and marketing, which can help drive more clients to you. Also, they might be able to go out and find clients for you, making bookings and securing gigs. If you are willing to make an investment in your legal career, paying for an agent could be a smart move to make. It could certainly provide you with more access to clients and jobs than if you were totally alone, but is it worth sacrificing some money? That’s up to you to decide!
Hire a Consultant
Just because you’re setting out to make it on your own, that doesn’t mean that you should do it without the wisdom of those who have been in your shoes. Tricia Bigelow, for instance, brings her experience as a lawyer and a judge to offer insights in all manner of things, such as going through the details of legal ethics and the code of conduct expected of law firms. Following those in the know can help you avoid many of the common pitfalls of the newcomer to the self-employed space.
Life as a freelance lawyer can be extremely rewarding and beneficial. There’s definitely a chance to earn more money than you would when working for a firm. So, if you want to switch things up and ditch your old job for freelance life, these three tips will help you get things up and running.
