The last 18 months have changed the way that we do business, and more people are appreciating the value of remote working. We've seen an exodus of talent leave their fixed positions and go out on their own. Whether you are a legal professional wanting to go out on your own, Or you want to scale your already existing business, we’ve got you! 

We were lucky enough to have one of the biggest game-changers in the freelance legal industry, alongside our very own talent experts on our panel! They discussed how to build your legal brand and pave your way to success as a freelance legal professional. 

Meet the Presenters:

• Moderator: 

  • Melissa La Forest, Senior Account Management, Lawtrades 

• Panelists: 

  • Josh Saneda, Growth Lead, Lawtrades 

  • Jordan Schwartz, Founder, Tech Law

Key Takeaways: 

• Operate like an in-house counsel

• Open yourself up to different types of roles 

• Decide the bandwidth you want to commit to

• Set a consistent track record with the client

• Establish boundaries early on

• Be nimble and ready to adapt to changing expectations

Why go out on your own? 

1:25-4:30

• Jordan: “It allows you to practice in a lot of areas and take advantage of all your talents”

  •  Experience with in-house counsel allows you to see the issues that small companies go through, and how hard it can be to find the right outside counsel 

  • Position yourself like an advanced counsel, operating at the external level provides a lot of cost-savings for the company

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How do you set goals?  

4:30-6:30

• Jordan: “It was an opportunity to broaden the base of products I was working with”

  • Compensation is a major reason people are hesitant  

  • Decide what you need to make it a worthwhile endeavor 

  • Focus on getting early engagements to build your profile out 

What are the Obstacles?

6:30-11:44

• Josh: “Figure out which roles you want to chase”

  • Compensation is a big question! 

    • Lawtrades pricing is on avg. $120-180 per hour  

  • How long will it take to find an engagement?

    • We’ve had talent sign contracts in less than 48 hours!

  • Decide and commit on the right time to leave your current opportunity 

• Jordan: “Be open minded and see how the work evolves” 

  •  Wasn’t the right time to jump right into a full time engagement 

  • Enjoyed the flexibility and ability that Lawtrades offered

How do you manage your time?

11:44-15:12

• Jordan: “Be cognizant about how much work you’re willing to put in”

  • Understand the turn around time you need to make deadlines

  • Be realistic

    •  are you looking for work life balance, or…

    •  are you looking to have as many engagements as possible  

  • Understand the ebbs and flows of your client’s business, such as when work may pick up and when it will slow

How do you build out your profile?

15:12-22:07

• Josh: “Describe what you’ve accomplished, and make it worthwhile for the client”

  • Highlight the diverse parts of your background

  • Keep it concise! Clients can only see the top third of your profile

  • Showcase any startup or small business related experience, technology assets, and highlight cool clients you have worked with 

• Jordan: “Keep it as pithy as possible”

  • Take the effort to flush out what your strengths are

  • Take on engagements that meet your current strengths, then you can pivot onto ones that broaden your experience 

  • Build relationships with current engagements, be ready to broaden your scope as they may take you on for future engagements 

How does the interview process work?   

22:07-28:08

• Jordan: “Make them comfortable with the remote-working relationship and being external”

  • It may be a little less cumbersome than going through the process at a full time company

  • Clients are generally looking to take someone on pretty quickly

  • Be confident, personable, and be ready to provide support

  • Be nimble and adaptable to the client’s system and processes

• Josh: “Get to know the team upfront up” 

  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions early on

  • Get comfortable with 100% remote work

  • Understand where and how communication will take place with the GC, and the rest of the legal team 

How do you set boundaries?

28:08-32:07

• Jordan: “Establish that track record and credibility with the client”

  • Be ready to provide estimates on time frames 

  • Set expectations and form boundaries early on

  • Understand how much you need to be unavailable, and how flexible you can be during the day

Any tips on setting up a virtual practice? 

32:07- 36:38

• Jordan: “Hire a good accountant” 

  • Make sure to set up an accounting strategy- the taxing side can get tricky

  • Don’t be afraid to take a rate slightly lower to get yourself out there 

  • As you build up a steady base of clients, you can adjust the hourly rate and scale upwards  

At Lawtrades, we’re on your team to help things work.   

If you want to find out more about Lawtrades, feel free to set up a call with our amazing team here.

Or, if you are ready to sign up & apply for engagements...you can join our amazing talent network here.