By 2030, freelancers could comprise as much as 80% of the global workforce – and some of them are or will be lawyers. According to research compiled by Spend Me Not, an estimated 35-40% of the workforce are freelancers, which means hiring a local or remote freelance lawyer for your firm is more than possible. Doing so is not an easy decision, as there are pros and cons to consider.
Reasons To Consider Hiring A Freelancer
According to Garman Turner Gordon LLP co-founder Kristin Tyler, there are several reasons to consider hiring freelance lawyers. Doing so can help your firm increase profits and reduce overhead costs. Freelancers also can help your firm become more agile. You may be worried that those pros could be offset by cons such as potentially high freelance rates or their level of expertise. This is why it’s essential that you ask the right questions before hiring a freelancer for legal work. By asking the right questions, you can be sure that you are hiring the right person for the job.
The Pros Of Hiring Freelancers
Reducing overhead costs is one of the biggest pros of hiring freelance lawyers. In December 2021, Financial Times reported that Boies Schiller Flexner’s outgoing managing partner Natasha Harrison said full-time lawyers’ payrates are unsustainable. As freelancers are not full-time associates, you do not need to pay full-time salaries, bar dues, benefits, insurance, office space, and a host of other expenses. Another pro is being able to increase your firm’s profitability by charging freelance lawyers’ work to clients at reasonable market rates.
According to Tyler, yet another pro of hiring freelancer lawyers is increased access to a greater diversity of talent in all legal areas. This makes it possible to meet specific needs on a case-by-case basis. An additional perk to consider is that legal freelancers offer your firm greater flexibility. If your firm is new, you can avoid significant overheads by working with freelancers at first. If your firm receives a significant amount of new work, you can hire freelancers instead of asking full-time associates to increase their workload.
The Cons Of Hiring Freelancers
According to a Search Consultancy report, 58% of legal industry organizations said they were strained by a lack of skilled workers. Difficulty in finding individuals with specific expertise is one of the potential cons of hiring freelance lawyers. Another con is that, even if you do find legal freelancers with the right skills and expertise, they may be too busy to take on more work.
Tyler wrote that yet another potential con is that some contract workers may charge exceptionally high rates. One of the potential cons of hiring legal freelancers is that delegating work, explaining tasks, writing summaries, and providing them with relevant documents may take time. Another of the perceived cons is that freelance lawyers do not have what it takes to find a full-time job. However, as
Tyler pointed out, numerous talented lawyers choose to freelance because they prefer the personal freedom that freelancing offers. They can choose when and where to work.
Provided you put effort into your search for the right legal freelancers, the pros can outweigh the cons. With the right freelance lawyers, your legal firm can offer greater flexibility and variety while overcoming challenges such as expenses and profitability.
