A Tale of Two Happy Lawyers

Last March, I left my in-house position in the real estate development department of an international retail chain with nothing on the horizon. I didn't care. I was completely burnt out, and thrilled to learn I didn't even need to leave my house to apply for unemployment (apparently, they are no more excited to see us than we are to see them, so they let us apply online). I couldn't muster enthusiasm for going on job interviews, which was a good thing since there were no jobs to interview for. In my spare time, I started playing on Twitter (which is the subject of a whole other post) and was subjected to my children's ridicule for it.

One day I was standing in a checkout line, and ran into an attorney (we'll call him Brad) with whom I had co-tried a case several years ago. We both had reason to complain. His practice had dwindled to the point where he had to let go of both his associates, but found himself working constantly because he had no one else to rely on at deadline time. Now he had agreed to coach his son's little league team, but had no idea how he was going to fit it in. I told him my tale of woe, and together we fumbled through our purchases feeling very sorry for ourselves, indeed.

About 10 days later, I got a panicked call from Brad at around 3 pm. He had just finished throwing together a responsive pleading, but had to run off to practice. He wanted to know if I would be interested in editing and finalizing it for his signature the next morning. Having shepparded two sons through little league myself, I couldn't say no. So he emailed me the document, I fixed it up all nice and pretty, and returned it to him ready to go. Right there and then, the light bulb went on for both of us: he could delegate projects to me on an as-needed basis and I could start earning money in the comfort of my own home, as they say. He could be the proud coach of his son's team without stressing or needing to cancel practices and know that his work would not suffer. And me? I had the beginnings of a whole new era in my professional life.

As I busily worked to put together my business model (using Twitter, by the way) Brad referred his buddy (we'll call him Mark), a partner in mid-sized business firm in San Jose. One of Mark's clients, whose profits were declining, had warned that unless Mark could alter their billable hour arrangement and bring down legal costs, he would need to pull his account and go elsewhere. When Mark analyzed his client's billings, he realized there was no way he could offer the same services for the flat fee arrangement the client had requested. But Brad had told him about his arrangement with me, and that I charged substantially less than market hourly rate. Mark calculated that if he hired me to do the work for this client, which would free him and associates to work on higher-paying accounts, he could retain the client, still make some profit and save face. The deal was on.

The changes in law practice economics require creative approaches if you want to keep your practice thriving. We all know that big law is faltering, associates are being laid off and law clerks aren't getting those offers anytime soon. Every sector of our industry is being forced to think far outside the box to continue to serve our clients. Freelance lawyers are playing a big part in enabling solo practitioners and law firms of all sizes to stay in the game.

In my previous post, Why Outsource Legal Research and Writing Projects to Freelance Lawyers?, I discussed the theory behind the emergence of freelance law practices. But as Amanda Mineer states, ". . .despite their growing numbers, many freelance contract lawyers must fight the perception that 'they are just between jobs or don’t have it in them to be a ‘real’ lawyer.'” (See: Lawyer for Hire: Freelance Contractors Change the Marketplace by Hannah Hayes.) In fact, the opposite is true: freelance lawyers offer services that enable law practices to grow and change with our current social and economic climate.

Nor are we foreign lawyers who crank out work in the impersonal and unsecure environment envisioned by many attorneys when considering outsourcing contract work. We are attorneys right here in your country, state, or town, with fully-functioning law offices who provide specialized services that solve other attorneys' logistical or financial dilemmas.

Do you have similar, or related, dilemmas arisen for you that require a creative solution? Freelance attorneys are here to help. Take advantage of this new and exciting way to create and continue successful law practices! Click here to find the cure!