When you can't automate, try outsourcing to freelance lawyers

Guest Post by Kristin Tyler, Co-Founder of LAWCLERK

Along with the use of document automation, another growing trend in legal is outsourcing to freelance lawyers.  In many regards, there is nothing new about busy attorneys working with what has been traditionally called a “contract lawyer.”  Today, thanks to technology, there are many websites that make it easy for busy attorneys to connect with other attorneys willing to do freelance work when they need help. 

Big law is already reporting benefits to their business models - and bottom lines - thanks to the work of freelance lawyers.  The Altman Weil Law Firms in Transition Report for 2019 reported that 59.8% of the big firms surveyed say the use of contract lawyers is a permanent trend.  Of the firms already using contract or freelance lawyers, 62.1% say the contract lawyers have delivered a significant improvement in their firm’s performance.

Thanks to resources like LAWCLERK, law firms of all sizes ranging from solo shops to mid-sized firms can also easily connect with talented freelance lawyers to get more work done, generate revenue, and keep overhead under control. 

Outsourcing legal services offer many benefits to your practice. These include:

1. Make more money. Outsourcing can improve your bottom line by leveraging the time, talent and expertise of freelance lawyers. Currently, there is an overabundance of graduating lawyers and the big law “up or out” system is creating thousands of talented and available lawyers with specialized knowledge. You can take advantage of this and get skilled attorneys at reasonable rates on a freelance basis.
2. Expand your practice area expertise. With outsourcing, you can meet your clients’ needs by selecting skilled freelance lawyers who have subject matter legal expertise in other areas of the law. 
3. Achieve flexible staffing for your cases. By using freelance attorneys, you can get help when you need it. You can find qualified legal help at any skill level for any project. You can get assistance with preparing memos, agreements, pleadings, written discovery, and other types of work.  And unlike the traditional full time associate, you don’t have to pay the freelancer when you aren’t busy and don’t need their help.
4. Move away from the billable hour toward flat fee billing. Outsourcing allows you to engage talented lawyers in a paraprofessional capacity on a flat fee basis to assist you with discrete projects. As a result, you can charge your clients a set fee for legal work instead of hourly billing, which is more frequently being demanded by clients and gives you a marketing advantage.
5. Lower the cost of legal services and be more competitive in the market. Outsourcing is often more economical than hiring attorneys because of the overhead costs employees add to your business. Those savings can be passed along to your clients, which gives you a competitive advantage.
6. Find work/life balance. Solos and small firms are under more pressure than ever to work constantly in order to make a profit. By using freelance lawyers, you can bring in extra help when you need it without the overhead of a full-time associate, thereby giving you more time with your friends, family, and hobbies.

If you are considering working with a freelance lawyer to help boost your practice (and you should!), download LAWCLERK's whitepaper on the Six Benefits of Outsourcing.  LAWCLERK is making attorneys more productive and profitable.  Signing-up is free and there are no monthly fees.  Hiring attorneys only pay the flat fee price they set per project when they post work and connect with one of the thousands of freelance lawyers in our network.  You can get a $100 Amazon gift card when you complete your first project of $300 or more using the rebate code Gavel100.  Get started today at www.lawclerk.legal.

If you're looking for contract review in particular, AI contract review by LegalOn is also an option.