Hiring Contract Lawyers

Contract lawyers or freelance attorneys are lawyers employed by fellow attorneys to help in specialized areas of the law and other tasks. The working relationship between contract lawyers and attorneys is not supposed to be permanent; they only last until the case comes to a close or the project has been accomplished. So what exactly can contract lawyers do and why should you hire one?

Tasks Done by Contract Lawyers

The most common misconception about contract lawyers is that they have difficulty getting hired by a law firm. Nothing could be further from the truth. Contract lawyers are experienced attorneys who prefer the flexibility offered by freelance work because they choose to pursue other interests. Contract lawyers do a number of legal tasks, project-based work, and other mammoth undertakings that need to be accomplished within strict deadlines. Using a freelance attorney can complement your in-house staff or become an alternative to your legal secondees if they are too busy to assist with a particular project. The biggest benefit of hiring contract lawyers is that they provide the benefit of additional knowledge and expertise without having to lay them off when revenues or the work flow decrease.

Instances Where Contract Lawyers Can Be of Help

Aside from consulting them for specialist advice, there are many other instances where contract lawyers can be of help. When your work flow has many troughs and peaks, the flexibility offered by contract lawyers can fill in for busy periods. Since they are essentially freelance workers, they can easily work for many hours or a few hours, at the law firm or in their own premises. Hiring contract lawyers also increases staff retention and job satisfaction. If your in-house staff is constantly overworked due to a lack of resources, a freelance attorney can step in and take on some of the work, allowing the permanent staff to have more reasonable work hours. Finally, contract lawyers are an excellent way to check if you need a full-time lawyer on your firm. A freelance attorney can help you test the demand without permanently hiring a staff member you may not need later on.

How Much do Contract Lawyers Charge?

Like all attorneys, contract lawyers charge by the hour. The rate varies from $60/hour to over $150/hour depending on their expertise, experience, the duration of the working period, and their certification. Although these rates might seem high, remember that contract lawyers only get paid for the number of hours they work on the job. The hourly rates are easier to assimilate into your project budget than you think. What’s more, you don’t have to spend for the management overhead costs associated with your permanent staff because issues like sick leaves, holidays, and fringe benefits don’t apply to freelance attorneys. In other words, hiring contract lawyers is a cost-effective way to get certain projects done.

Although your work relationship with a contract lawyer is only temporary, using contract lawyers can benefit your law firm, your employees, and your clients in the long run. Consider hiring a contract lawyer for your next big case.