Is a Consultant Solicitor Self Employed?

Is a consultant solicitor self employed?

A consultant solicitor typically works independently and provides legal services on a freelance basis to their clients. Instead of being employed directly by a law firm, a consultant solicitor has a contractual arrangement with a law firm to provide legal services as and when needed. In turn, the law firm will provide support services including paralegal, admin, infrastructure, finance, insurance and compliance.

This arrangement allows solicitors to have more control over their practice and benefit from a greater share of the fees generated from their work.

Why consider becoming a self employed solicitor?

Working as a self-employed solicitor means you have the flexibility to set your own hours, fees and choose the cases that resonate with you. You have the autonomy to shape, build and develop the practice that you have always envisioned. Of course, making the move from a traditional law firm to becoming self employed is not without its challenges.

There are natural periods in the annual calendar when people focus on what they really want from their future working life – New Year is a classic opportunity to refocus, as is the return from holiday. Having had the chance to rest, enjoy the company of family and friends and clear a little headspace to think, many people question if they want to get back on the hamster wheel, or is there is a better and more flexible way of pursuing their career?

Consultant working is the norm for many people in marketing and IT, but the legal profession has been slower to embrace new ways of working. However, with predictions that a third of lawyers will work as self employed solicitors in five years’ time, we look at the key considerations.

When is the right time to move from a salaried position to a consultancy?

If it is vital for you to have the regularity of a set monthly income, annual pay reviews, potential for performance bonuses and a clear hierarchical structure to work towards moving up the corporate ladder, you may not be ready for consultancy yet.

However, if you are ambitious, good at networking, meeting new contacts and bringing in business and referrals, being a consultant lawyer could give you wings! Lawyers with a good following and strong networks earn a much fairer reward under our revenue share model for the work they bring in compared with traditional law firm practice. Try our earnings calculator to see what you could earn as a consultant solicitor. (And there’s no billing targets either!)

I am used to lots of central support – how will I manage on my own?

You’re not on your own. We provide dedicated central resources across IT, finance, secretarial and admin, marketing and business development. Our highly experienced and skilled business support teams, and use of secure, cloud-based finance, IT and case management platforms, provide a proven structure for consultant lawyers to successfully manage and develop your practice. And unlike many similar model firms, the majority of our services – including all secretarial and admin support – are provided free of charge with no additional costs.

I like working in an office – I don’t want to work full time from home

As a self employed solicitor with Excello Law, you have the choice. We have the largest network of free to use offices of any of the consultancy law firms – currently in 10 locations across the country including London, Birmingham, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and Leeds.
They are City-centre based with great transport links, offer full facilities for permanent working, hot desking and client meetings as you choose, have printing and copying facilities on site and most are staffed by our Excello 360 team members who provide dedicated secretarial and admin services.
So if you’re looking for office working, hybrid or remote, it’s up to you. Work when, where and how you want to.

I like working as part of a team

You’re exactly the type of consultant lawyer we’re looking for. One of our core values is collaborative working. Through our offices, practice groups, social events and communications, we’re totally focused on team working. Our working style is collegiate and we find our lawyers naturally network, building client and practice teams seamlessly. We also offer supportive and bespoke ways to build your own team if you want to bring on board paralegals, trainees and newly-qualified lawyers to help develop your practice.

Over 40% of new case files opened are internal referrals by our lawyers and we enjoy a supportive and engaging culture underpinned by a common ethos to deliver the best service to our clients.

We are proud to attract experienced, partner-level lawyers to our network of over 200 self employed solicitors, all operating under the Excello Law firm. Join Us today.