Be a smarter legal leader

Redlining gets its name from the original method of editing a contract. The parties involved would pass a physical document back and forth, each armed with a different colored pen, to suggest, accept and reject edits before agreeing on a final document.

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Of course, the process looks a little different in the digital era but the brass tacks remain the same. In short, it’s a negotiation over the content and wording of a contractual agreement and it’s the last phase in the contract lifecycle before signing and executing. It takes place when drafting a new contract and sometimes when renewing or amending an existing contract.

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There are 2 areas where redlining can get messy: the practical aspects of communicating edits and the strategic challenges involved in coming to an agreement that satisfies both parties. Here are our top tips for redlining like a pro.

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The nuts and bolts

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It’s unlikely you’ll be using the old colored pen method but, if you don’t have a good system in place, it’s still easy to lose track of who suggested what when. In long, complex documents, you can miss changes made by other parties or muddle up older and newer versions. If you’re sending a document back and forth, you might also run into trouble with incompatible file formats. Plus, if you’ve ever fought a battle with your tab key and a set of bullet points, then you’ll know that Microsoft Word can be a nightmare for formatting.

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The easiest way to avoid this is to use digital contracting software. Cloud-based software platforms allow all parties to read and edit the contract in real-time in a streamlined format. These platforms feature change tracking which means you can easily follow the timeline of edits. Many of them even timestamp edits, leaving a detailed audit trail. They also tend to have security features that help you control and monitor who has access to the contract. There are loads of products out there, and they all claim to save drafter tons of time and money.

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Here are some of the options and what makes them stand out.

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1. PandaDoc - All in one solution

In addition to cloud-based contracting, PandaDoc offers tools for marketing, HR, and sales. To gain access to their redlining tools, you need their ‘Essential’ plan which is $19/month.

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2. Ironclad - Risk mitigation

In addition to their redlining tools and workflow manager, Ironclad has ‘guardrails’ in place that ensure every document gets the right approval from the right person at the right stage.

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3. Juro - Good free version

Juro’s free version doesn’t include all their tools but if you’re starting out or on a budget it’s a pretty good option. One of their handy features is the ability to split internal and external versions of a document.

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4. Litera - Popular in the UK

Litera’s 2 main redlining solutions are Litera Compare, which detects differences in two similar documents, and Litera Collaborate, which allows multiple parties to work on a single document securely. They have a suite of other offerings including project management and proofreading solutions.

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5. DocJuris - AI redlining

The robots really are stealing our jobs! Software like DocJuris uses artificial intelligence to analyze, pre-screen, and negotiate redlines to your template from anywhere, in any language.

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The real deal

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Dr. Chester L. Karrass - whose LinkedIn profile describes him as ‘The World Leader in Negotiating’ - says “In business, as in life, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.” But it’s not just about getting the best deal. It’s also about getting it done as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

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Here’s some advice that will get you one step closer to taking Chester’s title.

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Be prepared

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Doing your research before you start negotiating will save you time later on. Make sure you research the company you’re negotiating with. This will give you a strategic advantage and help you make informed decisions. Get familiar with regulations and industry standards for the type of contract you’re negotiating. And spend some time with your team or client to clarify your objectives, priorities, and the concessions you may be willing to make. Understanding the must-haves and motivations will allow you to protect your interests, pre-empt pushback and get the best results.

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Communicate and be thoughtful

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Be transparent with the other party about what you need. You want to foster positive relationships not just for the duration of the negotiation but for future interactions too. Think about how your edits come across. Deleting or rewriting large sections without explanation could come across as hostile. Pairing a major edit with a concession can help keep the tone amicable.

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Call in backup

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Another set of eyes can help reduce the risk of errors. Depending on the nature of the contract, you might want to lean on the expertise of other teams in your business - whether that’s sales, compliance, or HR - to ensure you’re getting things right. The more you collaborate early on, the fewer edits you’ll have to make later on. Cloud-based software is particularly useful for sharing contracts and gathering comments from a range of people.

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Don’t send in the grammilitia

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As a lawyer, you’ve certainly developed a great eye for detail. You might be tempted to fix every split infinitive and misplaced comma but oftentimes errors like these make no material difference to the meaning of a sentence. Redlining details like this can be a waste of your time and risks irritating the other party.

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Get back to basics

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If you’re new to drafting, it’s important to nail down the must-have clauses that appear in almost all commercial contracts. Even a seasoned pro can get bogged down in the details so it’s worth stepping back and checking you’ve got all your bases covered.

Clauses that cover confidentiality, force majeure, termination triggers, jurisdiction (for contracts with parties from more than one country/state), dispute resolution, and damages (in the case of one party failing to deliver) are essential for an airtight contract that covers your client/company for all eventualities.

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Rely on Templates

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Wherever possible use sample clauses from the archives of legal research providers. It’s much quicker than drafting from scratch and makes it easier to ensure you are using the correct language and protecting your company or client. Even when you need to draft a customized contract, it’s worth making use of tried and tested samples as a guide.

Even so, it’s important to note that it won’t be as easy as copying and pasting. You need to ensure that the template you use will comply with both your industry and company and most importantly, that it’s appropriate for the situation. Be sure to carefully examine each contract, and modify it where need be.

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Playbooks  

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And, if you’re pushing out contracts left and right (hello hyper-growth!) you may want to consider contract playbooks. A contract playbook breaks down a company’s standard contract terms sets out an explanation of each clause (along with fallback clauses), and notes at what stage a company will “walk away” from a contract. These playbooks make it easy to train new legal hires and align with any department (like sales, finance, HR). Not to mention, it makes hiring outside counsel a breeze. In short, with a good playbook, anyone you bring on the team can offer near-immediate help.

A playbook may take several forms depending on the needs of a company. It can be as simple as a chart setting out general contract negotiating principles, or a fully-integrated library of form agreements, contract clauses, negotiation/approval policies, deal-review processes, etc. With the number of teams still operating remotely, having a playbook in the cloud is a must. Platforms like Lexcheck & Lawgeex can help set up and maintain your playbook. There are even some that have a library of templates, like DocJuris.  

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Be careful of ambiguities

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This may sound like drafting 101 but being clear and concise is essential to prevent legal challenges later on. Define all-important terms upfront. Use short sentences where possible. Avoid dangling modifiers. Where a word or phrase has 2 meanings, try not to use it for both purposes in the same document. Take care with ambiguous use of pronouns or plurals.

Top-notch drafting requires an understanding of the big picture and attention to the tiny details. Champion redliners need a mixture of soft and hard skills - from charming the counter-party and knowing just how hard to push to applying the right pronouns and mastering the software. Learn to do it well, and you’ll gain an invaluable skill that will help your business or client get exactly what they need from the counter-party

We’ll be the first to admit redlining can be a doozy. If you’re looking for part-time help or would like to fill a full-time position, we have a diverse talent network ready to suit your needs.

➕ Post Your Position Today

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The ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ movement started way back in the 1860s but here we are in 2022, still talking about the wage gap. Here’s why it still matters and what you need to know.

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Where are we now?

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Since those early women’s rights activists raised the question of equal pay, there have been legal wins. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 banned bosses from paying women less than men for jobs that required equal skill, effort, and responsibility, although pay could take into account merit and experience. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was named for a former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant manager who was awarded $3.3m in damages in an equal-pay lawsuit. The Act made it easier for women to sue employers for pay discrimination. And the Paycheck Fairness Act, which aims to ramp up enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, has passed in the House twice, although it is yet to succeed in the Senate.

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There have been tangible wins too - sort of. In the 1960s, the average woman earned 60c on the dollar compared to the average man. In 2018, that figure is 82c - but only 62c for Black women and even less for American Indian and Pacific Islander women.

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Isn’t that comparing apples to oranges?

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Of course, when we talk about the average man and woman, we’re not comparing people doing the same job. Men are more likely to choose higher-paying careers. At the university level, women favor humanities, education, and social sciences while men lean towards STEM. In fact, women born in the ‘90s chose majors with potential earnings 9.5% lower than their male peers. Even when male and female students indicate similar priorities, males tend to pick more lucrative routes. For example, in a group of students who identified helping others as a career priority, men were more likely to enroll in pre-med majors while women were more likely to pursue nursing. And when female students do enroll in STEM,  research shows that they are more likely than male students to respond to declining grades by switching majors.

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These choices are related to perceptions about where men and women belong and are likely to succeed. They are influenced by everything from the gendered portrayal of different jobs in the media, to a lack of role models (how often do you get on a plane and hear a female pilot speaking?), to the types of toys we play with as children (pink toy mop and broom anyone?). Career choices also relate to something called the confidence gap. Women tend to rate their performance lower than men, even when they achieve identical results. In math specifically, men tend to significantly overestimate their abilities while women have a more realistic perception. This is despite the fact that, on average, girls outperform boys in math and science.    

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Women continue to be influenced by these perceptions later on in their careers as well. In healthcare, for example, male doctors favor specialties like plastic surgery and cardiology while females lean towards primary care. Other research shows that jobs can actually attract more credibility and higher salaries because they are considered masculine, and conversely, jobs that are perceived as high-skill, high-pay jobs are more likely to be allocated a ‘man’s job’ status.

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Gender also impacts the specific roles we choose. In the US, 12% of employed men work part-time compared to 25% of employed women. In the UK, the difference is even bigger, with only 11% of working men working part-time compared to 40% of working women. Women are more willing to accept lower pay in return for flexibility and security while men are more likely to accept lower pay now for higher potential earnings growth in the future.

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But even if we compare earnings in the same job we can still see evidence of inequality. The pay gap for primary care physicians is 18%. Male software developers earn 4% more than women. Even in nursing, a female-dominated career, men earn 2% more.

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That might not sound like much, but if you think about the fact that inflation rates of 5.5% led to a cost of living crisis in the UK this January, you can understand the material difference the wage gap makes. The US, meanwhile, is facing its highest rate of inflation in 40 years at 7.5%, giving the wage gap an extra sting in its tail.

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So what about legal?

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There is some positive news. Recruiting company CareerBuilder ran a study tracking male-dominated careers from 2009 to 2017. They found that lawyer was the role with the most gains for women, with women now occupying 48% of roles.

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The overall picture, however, is more negative. Here are some of the more disappointing stats:

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• The average weekly income for female lawyers is $1,878 while male lawyers earn $2,202.
• In-house lawyers fare better with no discernible pay gap for senior and management counsel however, women acting as general counsel make ~$100k less than men.
• Male partners earn on average $959k whereas female partners average $627k (yep, you read that right).
• Just 22.7% of partners and 19% of equity partners are women.
• Only 25.4% of lawyers serving as general counsel for Fortune 500 firms are women
• And if we go all the way to the top, only 3 out of 9 Supreme Court justices are women.

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This is despite the fact that women have outnumbered men in law schools for several years and the number of female students in top law schools has been steadily increasing.

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Wages aside, how do women actually experience workplace discrimination?

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According to a 2017 survey, around 40% of working women say they experience gender discrimination at work. Examples include micro-aggressions, being denied a promotion, and being treated as if they were incompetent. Micro-aggressions are subtle or overt acts or words that come across as minor but which, as part of the pattern, are hurtful and create an exclusionary environment. Things like mansplaining, sexist jokes, being labeled emotional and being spoken over more often than others can be pervasive and nearly impossible to punish. These issues often become deeply internalized for women and add to an unacceptable culture of norms that is felt broadly across different workplaces, and careers. And let’s be honest, we’ve all experienced this, or know someone who has.

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A global survey of legal workers found that 1 in 3 women had been sexually harassed in the workplace. One study found that female lawyers of color are sometimes mistaken for janitors or administrators. And another study concluded that female court justices are interrupted far more often than male Supreme Court justices.

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What about the (baby) elephant in the room?

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Wage gap skeptics argue that women bring lower pay upon themselves by having children. It is true that mothers tend to take more parental leave than fathers and are more likely to work reduced hours. However, research finds no difference in the hours worked by male and female lawyers long-term. In fact, women bill an average of 24 minutes more per day than men.

Women who have children experience a “motherhood penalty” with mothers of 1-2 children earning 13-15% less than other women and mothers of 3+ children earning 18% less. Lawyers who take mat leave report that their careers are permanently impacted by the break. In 2019, 6 female lawyers sued their employer, Jones Day, for pregnancy and gender discrimination. One plaintiff claimed she returned from mat leave to a pay freeze, negative performance review, and limited opportunities.

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Lost hours and experience may account for some of the motherhood penalty but discrimination certainly plays a role. While men are perceived as more reliable colleagues after becoming parents, the general perception is that motherhood makes you less committed or competent at work. In one study, researchers created fictitious job applications - some which referenced children and things like PTAs and some which didn’t. They found that the ‘childless applicants’ were twice as likely to be called for an interview.

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What should firms do next?

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1. Gather data

In the UK, California, and some European countries, large companies are legally required to report their gender pay gap. Similar nationwide legislation could soon pass in the US. In Denmark, wage reporting has contributed to a 7% drop in the gender pay gap. And in the UK, firms affected by pay reporting rules have seen the gender wage gap shrink by almost a fifth.

Worryingly, it seems that loads of companies are phoning it in. One statistician estimates that 10% of UK companies report incorrect data. Nevertheless, for companies with a sincere interest in tackling inequality, pay data can help clarify what’s going on and why. It’s also useful to gather data on the gender of selection panels, job applicants, and candidates interviewed.

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2. Be transparent

A few years back, the Ninth Circuit determined that salary history does not legitimize pay inequity. Eighteen states now have laws that forbid employers from inquiring about an applicant's salary history. And from May, New York City will join Colorado to become the second US jurisdiction that requires pay range to be listed on job postings - although several more jurisdictions have some kind of salary disclosure rules. These rules make it harder for hiring teams to apply conscious and unconscious gender biases when making applicants an offer.

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Another way to encourage equality is to be transparent with staff about what their peers earn. Around 66% of companies discourage or prohibit discussion of salary information while around 17% practice transparency. Social media company Buffer is on the extreme end of the scale and publishes all employee salaries on their public website. Buffer claims that transparency helps them build trust with their staff but laws like these are controversial. Many companies fear transparency could create conflict amongst employees, invite bad PR and make it more expensive to hire and retain staff.

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3. Be flexible

A report by the UK government concluded that flexible working was the key to ending the wage gap. Research suggests that high levels of work-schedule flexibility in countries like the Netherlands and Norway are a major contributor to their low gender wage gap. The legal profession has a reputation for being old-fashioned but firms can attract and retain talented female (and male) legal staff by allowing room for parenting. More than half of women say they would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexible working and 31% of women who take a career break to raise children say they are forced to do so because of inflexibility at work.  

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Flexibility doesn’t just mean flexible hours. Remote working and accommodating freelancers are also avenues for diversifying the workplace. Two-thirds of millennial women say being able to work remotely is a priority. The number of freelancing mothers grew by 80% between 2008 and 2019. To ignore the flexi-working trend is to miss out on all that female talent.

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4. Help the fellas out

It might sound counterintuitive but firms that care about women should offer good parental leave to men. Paternity leave is associated with all sorts of positive outcomes - from happier marriages to better father-child bonds and better workplace satisfaction. It’s also invaluable to mums because it means co-parents can offer vital support in the post-partum phase meaning women are often able to get back to work more quickly. One study found that mothers’ income rose 7% for each month a father spent on parental leave.

Gender-neutral parental leave can also normalize taking time off to have kids and therefore undermine the motherhood stigma. You could even consider offering paid sabbaticals to long-serving staff who have no interest in becoming parents to counteract any bitterness they might feel about paid parental leave.

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5. Don’t be Don Draper

One fed-up female lawyer put it well when she Tweeted, “Don’t ask the female counsel to fetch the coffee…Try to remember their names. Don’t make repetitive jokes about breasts or skirts.”

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Sexist and belittling talk has no place in the workplace, even if framed as a joke. Asking women exclusively to take on unpaid work, like organizing the office Christmas party, is also not cool. Senior employees and men in general should take initiative and call out colleagues who act like they’re on an episode of Mad Men.

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6. It’s not just able-bodied, straight, white women

In 2019, 170 companies sent an open letter to law firms complaining about the lack of diversity in their ranks. Clients like Facebook and HP threatened to drop Big Law firms if they didn’t make moves to become more inclusive. Racial minorities make up just 10% of partners at US firms. One UK law firm recently revealed that white partners earn 34% more than their peers. And less than 1% of attorneys have a reported disability.

People of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community all deserve equal pay for equal work. Data gathering, mentorship, and inclusive work culture are just a few ways you can tackle workplace discrimination.

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There’s still a long way to go but the future looks positive for women. The wage gap is narrower among younger workers (93c on the dollar for workers aged 25 to 34). The American Bar Association has set up a Gender Equity Task Force which aims to address issues like pay equity. And firms have started to take sexual harassment more seriously, with stricter consequences and clearer policies. The pandemic has also helped to normalize flexible working and made more people (female caregivers as well as others) consider the importance of life outside work. But we have to be patient. To quote the late women’s rights advocate and Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”

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➕ At Lawtrades, we’re proud that over 52% of our talent network are women. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming, and accepting talent network that prides itself on flexibility. If you’re thinking of joining the talent network, or would like to post a role, check us out.

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It can be really difficult to know when a GC should make their first legal hire. Not only that, but who should they hire…and how should they hire them?

Our expert panel guided us through their experiences and shared their best tips for navigating the murky waters of making their first legal hires.

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Meet the Presenters:

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Moderator:

Ashish Walia, Co-founder, Lawtrades

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Panelists:  

Megan Niedermeyer, GC, Corporate Secretary, Fivetran

Jamie Hurewitz, GC, eSSENTIAL Accessibility

Nishat Ruiter, GC, TED Conferences

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Key Takeaways:

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• Understand the business model and current pain points before making the first hire.
• Expertise is important, but it isn’t everything. Assess compatibility with the values of the company, your team, and yourself when evaluating candidates.
• Communicate risk and build a trusting relationship with the C-Suite.
• Tap into your networks, hire good people, and more will follow.

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What prompted you to make the first hire?

2:22-8:10

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Nishat, “I evaluated the work volume and cadence of being able to be responsive to the business.”

Took a nontraditional route and had legal interns help us in the beginning. When the budget was there, we were able to scale and grow by building the team internally.

Jamie, “Balance the needs of the company and area of expertise that is needed- that you don’t have.”

I started immediately building out the infrastructure with which I didn’t have experience.

Megan, “If I were to go back in time, I would have posted job openings before I even started.”

We needed to hire for the long-term, short-term, and yesterday’s needs simultaneously. Evaluate the core, non-negotiable support you’ll need to hire before your first day and see if you can post them before you start.  

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What was the first role you hired for?

8:10- 12:11

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Megan, “Our first hire was a legal-ops hire”.

A legal team does so much more than ‘just legal’. Leverage automation, and set up the systems at scale, so you can prevent the need for more lawyers.

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Jamie, “Building out the contracts process really does scale itself.”

Having someone who is an expert in the legal-ops or contract management area is priceless.

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Nishat, “Fill the gaps as best you can with the puzzle you have.”

We needed to find someone who fits the culture of the organization and the strategy we were trying to achieve.

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What qualities do you look for in the initial hires?

12:11-15:12

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Jamie, “It has to be someone who can work independently and take charge.”

It’s a skill not everyone has. Someone more seasoned is a better hire, especially in a remote-only role. I look for someone who knows more than me in a specific subject.

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Megan, “I find the very best people who compliment my skill sets and make up for my deficiencies.”

Hire the person with more expertise, time, and experience to dive into a particular issue. Think about what the makeup of the team as a whole is, and how it interacts with the business.

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How has your recruitment experience changed over the past few years?

15:32-19:13

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Megan, “I take every single screening call across the board.”

By being deeply involved in the hiring process, I can suss out the risk profile, and cover it right off the bat without including the recruiting team.

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Nishat, “The process of finding the right legal fit is really unique.”

Trying to find a creative lawyer is very hard. That’s the opposite of what we need at TED. We require careful editing and drafting, so we include a redlining exercise.

How do you get by in to hire a really expensive lawyer or a non-attorney?

19:13-21:49

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Jamie, “I look at the strategy of the C-Suite, and work in line with their strategy.”

Understand the risks, and the area of expertise you need to handle that.

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Megan, “We’ve relied on contractors and part-time resources as the canaries in the coal mine.”

When the outside hires are easily billing 40-50 hours a week, it’s time to bring that role in-house. By ruthlessly prioritizing, and communicating what can’t get done (due to the lack of current resources) you can put the decision in the hands of the C-Suite.

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What’s worked for you in terms of finding really good talent?

21:49- 27:27

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Jamie, “I rely on my network heavily.”

Relying on personal networks is good to find great hires, but you need a metric to check that. We use a practical assessment in the hiring process.

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Megan, “Attitude is aptitude. Aptitude is the ability to be successful.”

Judging for aptitude can be hard in an interview but is better than ticking the box in subject matter and experience.

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Nishat, “I enjoy finding things that are not typical.”

There are a lot of resources that don’t reflect authentic experience. You have to look into the person, not just the presentation. Having another person have a conversation with them can determine which hires fit best.

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What do you think about the title for a first attorney hire?

29:25-30:56

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Megan, “senior ex-counsel.”

Set the expectation that there’s a huge trajectory for growth, but don’t start with something high, it’s hard to downgrade a title.

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Nishat, “We use associate counsel.”

It’s a big shift in the mindset to move in-house, so we start at the associate level. It depends on the level, and what you’re asking them to do.

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Jamie, “The next hire is not going to be a second generalist.”  

The next hire isn’t going to be a deputy or a VP. I’d have it as a senior counsel.

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What would you suggest for someone looking to stand out who hasn’t gone to top law school or worked in a Big Law firm?

30:56-33:50

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Jamie, “I didn’t go to a great law school. I didn’t work at a big firm.”

It’s all about perseverance, figuring out what your trajectory is, and what you need to do to get there.

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Nishat, “Having informational interviews may be helpful.”

There are many types of in-house work. Learn about the roles and what the industry is like before you jump in. That way, hiring managers may keep your name and face in their back pocket.

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Megan, “I think there’s value in being trained somewhere where someone has a dedicated ability to mentor.”

At a high growth company, we don’t have the time to hire someone without expertise. For a person looking to get into the industry, reach to bigger in-house legal departments that have the time and resources to show you the ropes.

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What practical advice can you share about becoming a better manager?  

34:45-39:00

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Megan, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”

I deeply internalize my mistakes and learn how to correct them. I look to surround myself with people who have complementary strengths, so we can support the team more holistically.

Nishat, “Be critical about what you know, and what you don’t…and try to be better at it.”

Remove the barriers to having open communication, and build transparent relationships with those around you.

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Jamie, “I am always open to self-improvement and feedback.”

I want to be an open door for feedback at any time, and not just at review time. If there’s an opportunity for growth in my colleague’s careers, I support that.

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Have you dealt with pushback with the CEO when making a legal hire?

41:01-44:15

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Megan, “It indicates there’s a why behind the what that needs to be explained.”

It’s not what the CEO is anchored on. They need to know why you need it now, yesterday, and 6 months from now.

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Nishat, “They need to know before you need to ask.”

The trust and relationship you have with leadership are important. They need to be aware of the issues, and how they strategically affect the business.

Jamie, “Know your CEO and what is compelling to them.”

Knowing what moves them is very helpful.

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What are you doing to retain talent in today’s environment?

44:20-46:40

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Nishat, “I am not into retaining hires beyond what’s naturally good for their trajectory.”

It’s important to recognize that you should support talent and their journey.

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Megan, “Money doesn’t keep people in jobs.”

It’s about fulfillment and that sense of community.

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🤓 Loved this event and want to see more? Check out our upcoming events in March!

➕ Forging Inclusive Workspaces For Women In Law To Thrive featuring GCs from Compass, Illumina, and the NY Mets.

➕ Solo GCs: A Survival Guide featuring CEO (and 3x GC!) Sterling Miller.

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Want to join our exclusive community of in-house leaders where you can network with like minded legal professionals and share best-practices? Apply here!

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There’s a million reasons why someone might go solo. From moonlighting, to building that perfect work-life balance, to branching out in your career, the options are endless. Whatever your reason may be, you’ve chosen to go for it, and that’s commendable in itself.

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We’ll be the first to say that the transition from a full time position to a freelance legal career doesn’t happen overnight. You’re used to the billable hours, going into the office, and of course the perceived stability and financial security that a traditional career brings.

The good news is that freelance life is incredibly versatile, and can be even more lucrative. You get to decide when you want to work, who you want to work with, and what you want to work on. Here’s what you should expect in your first three months as a Lawtrader. And, who better than to describe their experience, and share their most helpful tips than a Lawtrader herself.

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Meet Sheilla! She’d been working with legal placement services on and off since 2000, and was incredibly underwhelmed by the positions that they were recruiting for. That’s when she met Lawtrades. After she joined the platform, she found the jobs were not only relevant to her experience, but paid great, and offered the opportunity to up-skill and utilize all of her varied experience. As a seasoned veteran, she knows the ins and outs of the industry.

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Landing the First Engagement

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Getting hired on that first engagement on Lawtrades is often thought of as the make-or-break of your Lawtrades journey. You are joining the platform to get hired after all. Thankfully, after you’ve built out your profile, the hardest part is over. As soon as your profile’s been approved, we recommend that you apply to 2-3 engagements that suit your interests and experience from the get-go.

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Sheilla advises that you check the job postings on the site, as well as the ones delivered to your inbox. There are often things that may interest you that don’t hit your profile. If you don’t see something that suits your interests right away, don’t worry - we’re adding new engagements on a daily basis so something will pop up. And, when you do land that first engagement, getting hired for your second, third, and so on is that much easier. Clients love to see Lawtraders with experience under their belt.

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Transitioning from an Engagement to a Contract

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Oftentimes, our Lawtraders are using us as a stepping stone to land a more stable engagement. Just six weeks into Sheilla's first engagement, she ended up being hired on at a salary she was looking for and benefits that suited her. After a reorganization of the group, the fit was no longer right for either her or the company and they amicably parted ways. During that engagement, she picked up a part time assignment that soon transitioned to full time, with better pay, benefits and appreciation for what she brought to the table. Sheilla takes every engagement as a learning opportunity, and feels her first engagement set not only the company up for success in the future, but also a path for her to expand her talent.

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Balancing Part-Time Gigs

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There’s no shame in wanting to make a little extra cash on the side. In addition to her full-time gig, Sheilla loves picking up part time gigs to help out on a project-by-project basis. By picking up engagements that are project-oriented, she’s able to help out outside of traditional business hours, instead of being on the clock (or active on slack!). Pro tip: pick up part-time engagements you could do in your sleep (i.e. the ones that require little training and match your existing skill set).

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In this way, she can easily juggle her full-time position as a priority, and keep the simple tasks for her part-time role. Keep in mind, you need to be open and honest with all parties involved. Have the confidentiality spiel in your back pocket, and make sure the higher-ups are aware of the working hours you’ll commit to. Sheilla’s best recommendation? Have two computers. That way, you can easily separate (and keep secure) one gig from the other.

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Expanding your Skills

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The diverse nature of our clients allows many Lawtraders to gain a wide breadth of experience under their belts. If you’re thinking of dipping your toes into another industry, you can use your experience from early engagements to pivot. That’s exactly how Sheilla ventured into the legal ops space.

“I have taken the opportunity to expand and hone my skills within the Legal Operations realm and have found this to be a hot area of focus for many companies. Setting a late stage start-up on the path to IPO readiness is something that really got me excited and stretched me by introducing me to new software and tools that I can use going forward.”

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While not every opportunity on Lawtrades will match your current specs, there’s no harm in applying for positions you don’t meet the exact qualifications for. A good rule to abide by is the 75-25 rule. If you meet 75% of the qualifications, you can easily learn the other 25%. Sheilla recommends using LinkedIn Learning to verse yourself on any tech-related skills that may be required for the position. Better yet…need to learn how to use a new contracting or workflow software? Request a free trial from the company. By taking initiative to expand your skills prior to interviewing, you’ll increase your likelihood of getting hired, while also ensuring a smooth transition on the job.

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Long-Term Success

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After landing several engagements, Sheilla felt her experiences and opportunities for growth expanded rapidly. Her top tips? Apply to engagements often, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Always be ready to learn as you go, pivot when necessary, and have confidence in your work. In the gig economy, it’s easy to undervalue yourself. If someone is not appreciating your value, there’s someone else that will. By keeping a positive, and forthcoming attitude, you’ll keep your priorities high, and the engagements will follow. Of course, don’t be afraid to have fun with it! By picking the freelance lifestyle, you’re choosing to keep your time in your own hands. Not to mention, you can work from anywhere (hello…beach?), and wave goodbye to the daily commute.

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We couldn’t help but share her kind words...

“My experience with Lawtrades has been one of the best that I have had with an agency in so far as diversity of opportunities and the commitment to showcasing their talent. You are appreciated and valued by the team. Make the most of each assignment, you never know where it could lead.”

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Starting your journey on Lawtrades is an enriching and rewarding experience. We’re so proud to be able to facilitate the transition to so many flexible, and fulfilling careers for our talent. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to our team!

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Alberto Hernández, Commercial Counsel, Lawtrades

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Background

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Meet Alberto! He’s representing Lawtrades’ international talent network out of Badajoz, Spain! His city borders Portugal, and the local language has been coined a mixture of both-“Portunish”. When growing up, he loved the series L.A. Law so much that when he attended college at the University of Extremadura, he choose to study law. Although Alberto’s first steps were focused on management in private companies, he soon found his place as an in-house lawyer and HR manager. When he made the leap to freelance law, he specialized in labor and corporate law. More recently, he’s turned his attention toward tech law, and is passionate about blockchain projects.

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Path to Lawtrades

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One day, our co-founder, Ashish connected with Alberto on LinkedIn after thinking he was a perfect fit to collaborate with one of our clients. He was curious, and gave it a shot. After many years working for others as an in-house lawyer, he realized he wanted to work for himself on his own terms, and with clients he really wanted to work with. He understood that he could do better than most of the external lawyers he had previously worked with. For Alberto, it was a natural evolution.

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Success with Lawtrades

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With Lawtrades, Alberto has broadened his scope of experience by working alongside companies from a variety of countries and industries. He finds it enriching as he’s able to learn about different cultures while practicing law.

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“I take great pride in the fact that clients want to continue working with me after the first project and recommend me to their contacts. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in projects since their inception, and seeing them become a success is rewarding for me.”

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Flexible Working Hours

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Lawtrades has given Alberto the freedom to prioritize his family over the very time-consuming, and uninteresting work that comes alongside a traditional career. With his extra time, he enjoys surrounding himself with both family and friends, and loves going mountain biking 🚵‍♂️ .

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Want to join our talented community just like Alberto did?

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➕Apply today!

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Recruiting permanent legal staff can be a major headache. In a poll of 55 law firm CEOs and CFOs, more than half said that recruitment is a “high risk” to firm profitability, even as client demand and profits are on the rise. These concerns represent a paradigm shift in the talent landscape that gives associates a hefty bargaining chip- namely better salaries, bigger bonuses, and broadened flexibility.

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Let’s dive into what makes hiring so pricy and what can be done to make it more economical.

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The Context

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While the the current employment environment proves beneficial to talent, it throws up several challenges for employers looking to recruit and retain top talent. And, in-house teams have not been left out of the struggle.

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Where did all the lawyers go?

A record-breaking number of Americans quit their jobs in April. That record was broken again in July and then again in August in a trend economists are calling the ‘Great Resignation’. Job openings are sitting wide open…for months. After many firms instituted hiring freezes during lockdown, business leaders are seeing high growth in demand for legal services in most practice areas - which means high demand for legal staff. These trends have combined to create a “white hot [hiring] market” and made it more difficult and time consuming than ever to lure quality candidates.

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Some companies are veering forward by trying to ride out the quitting wave, and the end of the Great Resignation itself. That’s not going to be feasible quite yet. While experts predict that we’ll experience the same inflated levels of resignations to continue throughout 2022, we’re not likely to see any great spikes. Because companies were forced to up their salary and benefit packages, employees hired over the past few months are less likely to leave. But that doesn’t mean this “era” is behind us. Others are considering it less of a trend, and more of a cultural realization where resignations are due to be expected until workplaces lay out more freedom, flexibility, and overall respect for the workforce. In an industry rooted in tradition like legal, that could take years.

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The talent war

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In response to competition, many Big Law firms upped starting associate salaries from $190k to $205k. Experts describe a “bidding war” for new recruits and senior associates can expect bonuses of $100k as firms fight to retain staff. Legal teams within high growth companies face the unique challenge of hiring in a market where law firms can offer higher salaries and base services… making it more difficult (and expensive) to hire permanent in-house legal staff.

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But it’s not all doom and gloom…in-house positions tend to offer flexibility and benefits that Big Law never could (you can even forget the words “Billable hour!”). And, talent is picking up on it fast. While legal may be seen by some as a walking cost center, in-house pros reap the benefits of an improved work-life balance, an important both Millennials and Gen Z are demanding. In fact, more than 80% of Millennials seriously consider how a position will affect work-life balance, and 42% of Gen Z workers find it as a top priority when job searching. In-house teams are leveraging generous 401k matching and equity packages to entice more attorneys. Yes, competition is tough. But in-house teams have some cards up their sleeves!

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What’s taking so long?

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The script has been flipped: candidates are sitting on multiple job offers, while employers are now interviewing for the candidate. The wide expanse of open positions is only slowing the hiring process even further.

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New hires don’t happen overnight. The average hiring process takes between 33 and 49 days, depending on the industry - and that’s just from the moment the candidate clicks ‘apply’. It seems to be taking longer and longer. Employers are offering more benefits than ever before and want to ensure candidates are worth it. Complex, multi-stage interviews, extensive background checks and managers with busy schedules all contribute to the delay. War stories of candidates sitting through 6 rounds of interviews, and enduring 3 hour written exams are not uncommon. In an industry where time means money, delays are bad news.

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Going flexi

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The joys of working from home have been revealed in the past 22 months and they weren’t lost on lawyers. The freedom to receive a package, collect your child from school and wear your slippers during the work day is difficult to give up. And let’s not forget all the free hours you gain when you skip the daily commute. People are leaving the cities in droves for a more affordable cost-of-living. The term ‘Digital Nomad’ has increased in popularity for those who have taken up the opportunity to make the most of life and travel the world, all while working remotely.

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Many companies understand the importance of flexibility and are promoting hybrid, or even remote-first models- especially those in the tech sector. Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Coinbase, and (many!) more have transitioned to offer fully-remote roles. 90% of corporate legal department employees say they want more flexibility in where and when they work and more than half say they will quit if that’s not on offer. And quitting doesn’t mean leaving the profession completely. The growth of freelancing as an increasingly mainstream route threatens to poach legal talent from traditional employers. This puts additional pressure on firms looking to hire and adds a layer of complexity to the hiring process.

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The Math

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In such a challenging environment, it makes sense for employers to turn to traditional recruiters to help them find new staff. But traditional recruiters aren’t kind to the budget. Most charge a commission of 25-35% of the employee’s salary. For an entry-level counsel, that’s likely to be $30-50k while a VP on a $1M salary carries a recruitment fee of $150-250k.

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That might sound like good value for money if your new recruit settles in, stays put for 30 years and brings in hefty billable hours. But statistics show that's often not the case. Approximately 20% of associates say they want to stay with their firm for less than 2 years. Of those, roughly 5-10% plan to stay for less than 12 months. Consider also that new members of a legal team take an average of 7 months to get settled into a role and recruiters fees start to look like a seriously pricey investment.

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What’s Next?

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The last couple of years have led to a change in the status quo when it comes to hiring. Marketplace models are thriving. They provide a convenient and efficient way to hire qualified talent quickly and economically....a win-win for everyone involved. And no, we aren't talking about the recruitment agencies of the 90s. Freelance marketplace Fiverr has nearly tripled its revenue since the pandemic and counts over 4 millionpeople on their talent network. What's more, marketplaces are also experiencing modernization. They're becoming automated and, in some cases, offer fully async means of hiring. Web3 is even making a break into this space. Companies like Braintrust are offering user-owned talent networks with an incentivized token system for talent and client referrals.

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For an industry like legal, sourcing outside counsel is customary. The bloated fees and minimum engagements are long outdated. If you’re a growing business and you’re forking out hefty legal fees for day-to-day work freelancers are the perfect middle ground. Freelance contractors can take a load of stuff off your plate when your team is overwhelmed, and can be perfectly tailored to suit your changing needs. And they’re quick and easy to hire through platforms like Lawtrades.

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➕ Post Your Position Today

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The way we work is changing. Freelancing is booming. New tools - like project management apps, AI assistants and the metaverse - are digitizing our workflow. And the majority of workers never want to go back to the 9 to 5, office-based model. As the workplace evolves, mastering async working will be essential to your team’s success.

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What is async work?

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Synchronous work is a bit like a football match. It involves multiple people engaged in the same thing simultaneously or communicating in real-time. That could mean an in-person brainstorming session around a table, a Zoom meeting to plan a project or even the expectation of an immediate answer to a question you’ve pinged across. It’s the kind of work that’s pretty easy to achieve if everyone works in the same office during set work hours.

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Async (or asynchronous) work on the other hand involves collaborating on a task without engaging in it at the same time. It’s a bit more like having a jigsaw puzzle on the kitchen table, with people adding a few pieces whenever they come by. Chances are your team is already doing some async work, even if it’s not conscious. That could be drafting a document together using Google Docs, setting up a meeting using a calendar invite or sending questions to your colleague via email instead of picking up the phone.

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Why is it beneficial?

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Flexible working

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According to a global survey, 90% of employees in corporate legal departments want more flexibility in both where and when they work. 54% say they’ll quit if they don’t get it. After a year where resignations hit record highs and firms battled to attract associates, it’s safe to say that employers should be taking those preferences seriously. ‘Flexible’ might mean taking a break to watch your daughter’s soccer match, spending a week working remotely from a Greek island or starting at 5 am so you can study in the afternoons. It might also involve working with a mix of full-timers, part-timers and freelancers. Async working makes it possible to collaborate even if every member of your team is on a different schedule.

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Optimizing personal productivity

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You may have noticed that you’re more productive at certain times of the day. A study of 500 thousand exams taken by university students found that they performed best at exams that started at 1:30pm. Another study found that 10:54 on a Monday morning is the perfect time to focus. Tim Cook, Richard Branson and several other hotshot business leaders claim that 4 or 5am is the magic hour.

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Our circadian rhythms impact when we feel in the mood to focus and when we feel like resting- but our ‘focus hours’ are also affected by individual traits like genetics, social environment, diet and caffeine. In the UK, 36% of millennials say they feel most productive either before 9am or after 5pm which suggests that enforcing the traditional workday on all your staff is a bad idea.

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If we want to maximize efficiency, we should tackle tasks that require deep focus at the time of day when we are most concentrated. Becoming fully immersed in what you’re doing is also good for your mental health and can leave you feeling motivated and fulfilled. But that’s impossible if your day is packed with meetings or you’re constantly interrupted by calls and notifications. Async working can help create space for periods of uninterrupted deep focus.

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Cutting down on meetings

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We’ve all had the experience of sitting in a meeting and thinking ‘When is he going to stop talking?’, ‘Why do I need to be here?’ or even ‘This could’ve been an email.’  In 2019, there were an estimated 55 million meetings per day in the US. Professionals attended around 15 meetings per week and executives spent 50-90% of their time in meetings. But, 70% of senior managers viewed meetings as unproductive.

There are lots of reasons why a meeting might waste time. Around half of employees surveyed say that meetings happen too frequently, are badly run, and too long. This may be because of Parkinson’s Law which says that work expands to fill its allotted time. If you schedule a 1-hour meeting, you’ll make it fill the hour, even if you’ve solved the problem after 42 minutes. Research shows that when people feel meetings are ineffective that feeling correlates with low job satisfaction.

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Thankfully, there's another way to get things done. Most tasks that happen in meetings can happen asynchronously. For example, PowerPoint presentations can be viewed in your own time, tasks can be allocated using project management software and brainstorming can happen on a digital whiteboard.

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Clarity, Transparency and Accountability

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Email chains, workflow software and tools like Google Docs leave a trail. You can keep track of who was allocated a task or who made an edit and when it was done. This can make your workflow clearer and make it easier to pinpoint the source of a problem. Communicating asynchronously also gives you more time to reflect before you say things. Working in your own time gives you a sense of ownership over your work which can make you more invested and ultimately more satisfied.

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Inclusivity

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Nearly 2 million working moms considered downshifting or leaving the US workforce during the pandemic. While 79% of fathers felt efficient working from home, less than 40% of moms felt the same. Async working gives primary caregivers the freedom to work when it suits them and stick with their careers.

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Async work is inclusive in other ways too. Video calls are great for Chatty Cathy but not so helpful for Introverted Ivanka. Async working takes the pressure off people with conditions like social anxiety and makes it easier for quiet team members to have their say.

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How to become an async pro

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Know when to go sync

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Mastering async working doesn’t mean abandoning all synchronous work. The two should go hand-in-hand. Urgent or complicated matters may be better resolved with a phone call and sync teamwork can spark creativity and build relationships. It helps to know your team. You might have an extrovert who needs sync interaction to get fired up about a project. Or you might have a shy newbie who is too scared to ask for help when they need it. A video call might be good for both of them. Even before the pandemic, around 20% of people in the US and UK said they felt lonely often - so it’s worth bearing in mind the value of real-time human interaction.

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Use the right tools

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Like most tasks in life, async work is easier when you have the right tools. Here are some of the best ones:

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• Google Docs for collaborative document drafting
• Digital whiteboards like Conceptboard and Whimsical
• Workflow software like Notion and Asana
• Slack for communication
• And Ironclad for contract management

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Give your team time to focus and disconnect

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You can set a few hours of the day when you need everyone to be online. The rest of the day, leave your team to work solo. Encourage staff to turn off notifications when they are not available on chat and schedule phone calls rather than ringing unannounced. Before calling a meeting, think about whether you really need one and keep it small. Take your team’s preferences into account before scheduling synced activities.

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Changing habits is difficult and predominantly async workflow won’t be the right fit for every team. But there’s a reason that so many people are adopting this way of working. Burnout is a major threat and people are leaving their jobs in record numbers. Now more than ever we have to nurture our work-life balance and create space for flexibility. Async work could be the answer.

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At Lawtrades, it’s never been easier to go async. We house a fully integrated ecosystem that allows you to interview, message, and check real-time work, & spend updates as soon as your engagement is started.

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➕Post Your Position Today

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The pandemic may have accelerated a welcome shift towards flexible and remote working but not all the changes have been so positive. The US and several other nations have seen the average workday increase by 2.5 hours. That’s pretty scary given that long hours were already killing 745,000 workers a year before the pandemic.

Whether lockdown saw you working in the living room while homeschooling the kids or nipping into the study to clear emails on a dull weekend, it’s been harder than ever to maintain our boundaries. We fantasized about switching our commutes for sleeping in and yoga but ended up squeezing in more meetings. Without chats by the coffee machine and walks between meeting venues, we’re spending more time in our chairs and at our screens. There is even evidence that all that extra screen time has led to widespread eyesight deterioration.

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All around the world, people are looking at ways to improve their work-life balance. Portugal banned bosses from getting in touch with staff after hours. In the UK, 30 companies are trying out a 4 day work week in the hope that employees can get the same amount done in less time.

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Other recommendations include asking for help when you need it and taking regular breaks. Technology has helped us get into this mess but maybe it can get us out of it too. Here’s our guide to the best tech solutions that could help you improve your work-life balance.

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Get it done

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How can you protect your personal time?  One way to do it is to make your working hours as productive as possible. Luckily there are loads of apps that can help you do just that.

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Todoist is an app that puts all your to-do lists in one place, helps you prioritize and delegate tasks and keeps track of your progress on different projects. It integrates with other platforms like Gmail, Amazon Alexa, and Slack. You can see work meetings alongside vet appointments and daily meditation goals.

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Be Focused is an app that uses a popular time management technique called the Pomodoro Method. The technique involves focusing on a task for 25 minutes then taking a short break. The idea is that you work long enough to get stuff done but not long enough to get distracted. The app helps you manage these work intervals to maximise your productivity.

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Clockify is another useful tool. The app features a time tracker. This is ideal for anyone who charges by the hour but it can also boost productivity. Knowing how long it takes you to go through your emails or type up a report means you can schedule realistically. It also tracks which websites you use so you can see just how much time you wasted scrolling through Twitter or watching cat videos on Youtube.

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Cut it out

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40% of workers say they check their social media intermittently throughout the day. It’s easy to get in the habit of mindlessly cycling through the apps - email, social media, news, email, social media. After all, these apps are designed to be addictive.

Forest is an app that tackles this. When you are ready to start a task you plant a seed and a tree starts to grow. If you navigate away from the app before your timer is up, the tree dies! It’s surprisingly motivating.

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If you need to navigate between apps and websites while you’re working, a tool that might suit you better is Freedom. It works by blocking or rationing time on distracting websites and apps. You can choose what to block and when. Focusme has similar features. It also allows you to block sites and apps automatically when you are in certain locations, like the office or library, and it has a ‘Force Mode’ that prevents you from changing your mind.

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If emails are your biggest distraction, you can try this simple fix. Set specific times of day when you check your inbox and include them in your email signature. You could say, for example, “I check my inbox between 11am and 4pm.”

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Cutting out distractions during the workday is important but so is cutting out work-related notifications during your personal time. If you use Apple devices, you can set upcustomised Focus and Personal modes that allow you to block personal notifications at work and block work-related notifications on the weekend. Windows has a similar feature called Quiet Hours.

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Automate

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Another way to save time and energy is to automate tasks.

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Grammarly is an online writing assistant that proofreads your emails and documents in real-time. It picks up grammatical errors and more complex things like poor style or tone. It’s perfect for anyone in the habit of writing overly long sentences and saves time on Googling things like whether you should use ‘affect’ or ‘effect’.

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The average worker spends 2.5 hours a day dealing with emails. Boomerang features an AI tool that helps you write good emails, a tool for scheduling emails to be sent later and an inbox management tool.

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If you’re tech-savvy you can explore Windows Task Scheduler which allows you to schedule custom tasks. That could be opening up all the tabs you need in your web browser every morning, sending routine emails like weekly reports or posting on Linkedin.

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You can also keep an eye out for Amy and Andrew. This AI solution is still in development but the entrepreneur developing these virtual assistants say they will be able to schedule meetings automatically, without any back and forth between parties.

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Take a moment

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Improving your work-life balance is not all about efficiency, discipline and organization. It’s also about disconnecting mentally and keeping your mind healthy…after all, it’ll only boost your productivity in the long run. Luckily, there are several apps that can help you do this.

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Mindfulness and meditation app Headspace uses science-backed techniques to help you manage stress and develop healthy habits. Moodfit is designed to help you track and manage your moods. Happyify aims to up your happiness score. And if you need more than self-help techniques, Headspace Health can connect you to a professional therapist.

The changes the pandemic brought to work culture as a whole are here to stay. The digital world looks set to envelop more and more of our lives as web3 and the metaverse hit center stage. By taking charge of your work-life balance (and respecting your personal time) now, you’ll be better prepared to protect your health, optimize your productivity and keep up with the never-ending changes in an ever more digitized world.

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Leverage Lawtrades the next time you’re looking to source outside counsel. By vetting candidates, providing real time work & spend updates, and automating billing- it’s never been easier (and faster!) to hire.

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➕Post Your Position Today

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Aaron is our newest team member here at Lawtrades as one of our Senior Account Executives. Born in Southern California, but Based in Texas, he brings over 10 years’ experience in the sales industry, having previously worked at companies like Totpal and Flexport. Let’s get to know him a little better!

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Can you share two interesting facts about yourself?

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Left Silicon Valley in 2017 to live on acreage in rural Texas, and now I own a tractor, raise goats, and my internet 👏 is 100x faster than the city.

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How do you like to spend your weekends?

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Making music with friends, singing karaoke, and landscaping.

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What is the most unconventional job you ever had?

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I wrote and recorded a radio jingle for a hydroponics store in Northern California

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Why did you choose to join Lawtrades?

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It seems like a home run opportunity to me! It reminds me of the early days of Toptal, before there were 10+ well funded players in the space. We can take this industry by storm.

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Rob and I worked together at Toptal, and he had nothing but great things to say about the team and the company. That got me through the door, and everyone I interviewed with at Lawtrades came off as real and authentic, ambitious and driven to build this company into a success.

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What are your primary responsibilities?

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Building an outbound sales engine, developing processes to revitalize old and cold leads, and closing deals.

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What are you most looking forward to in this position?

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Applying lessons learned from past marketplace platform experience in an industry that is full of growth potential and underserved by the incumbent ALSPs.

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Where do you think you help the most in this position?

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Sales processes, client experience optimization, and outbound outreach.

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Want to join a team of innovative thinkers helping legal professionals thrive in the internet economy?

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➕Check out our open positions

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Can you share two interesting facts about yourself?

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I’m a self proclaimed foodie, and love both cooking and baking. I’m currently in the process of mastering all things cookies, and perfecting my house rye bread.

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How do you like to spend your weekends?

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A typical weekend is spent running by the lake, visiting new coffee shops with my boyfriend, cooking, and of course…playing with my cat Bennie 😻.

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What is the most unconventional job you ever had?

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While not unconventional atm, I hope one day (soon 🙏) it will be. I oversaw a Covid testing site when I was at University. It was actually really fun, besides all the saliva (thanks PCR) because I was able to work alongside a bunch of my friends.

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Why did you choose to join Lawtrades?

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I chose to join Lawtrades because I was looking for an opportunity to jumpstart my career with a high-growth company where I knew the work I was doing would have an impact. When I connected with the team, I quickly understood the passion and rigor our founders had, and knew I wanted to be a part of that.

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What are your primary responsibilities?

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I am responsible for managing our social platforms, and providing amazing content for our community.

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What are you most looking forward to in this position?

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Ever since I joined Lawtrades, I have witnessed a tremendous amount of growth for the company as a whole, but also myself individually. I am so excited to see how far this growth will expand in 2022.  

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Where do you think you help the most in this position?

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By understanding the needs of both our clients and talent, and providing invigorating content that will both engage and entertain them.

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Solo lawyers are disrupting the legal services industry. The ‘lawyer-on-demand’ sector currently represents roughly 1% of the industry but it’s growing fast. That figure is forecast to rise to 10% by 2025. Alternative legal services, such as freelancing platforms, are now used by close to 80% of law firms and 70% of corporate law departments. It’s part of a broader trend towards freelancing. One survey found that 10 millionAmericans (20% of all employees) are considering doing freelance work.

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Here are 3 reasons why everybody's going solo.

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Value for money

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Probably the most obvious benefit of hiring a solo lawyer is the cost saving. The average hourly billable rate for lawyers is around $300. Of course, fees vary depending on the area of law and the seniority of the lawyer (partners at top firms can charge well over $1000/hour) but solo lawyers tend to charge less than firms. Lawtrades average hourly rate, for example, is only $150-200.

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Law firms charge you way more per hour than what they pay their lawyers. So where does the rest of your money go? At least some of it pays for shiny offices and big profits. When you hire a solo lawyer, you only pay for what matters: the lawyer’s time - and maybe a recruiter or freelance platform fee.

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Plus, you’ll only pay a freelancer for as long as you need them whereas hiring a new full time lawyer is a commitment to ongoing overheads like salary, insurance and office space.

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In most US jurisdictions, law firms are allowed to charge clients the market value for legal services, even if they outsource the work to a solo lawyer who charges below market value. That means outsourcing can bring in a profit.

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It may take time and resources to get freelancers up to speed with your team and what you’re working on, but, even with that cost built in, freelancers are likely to save you money. And who wouldn’t want that?

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Qualified and experienced candidates

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Part of the appeal of traditional law firms is that they only hire candidates with top marks from top tier universities. Besides the fact that these firms are missing out on all the benefits of building a diverse workforce, companies are starting to realize that there are other ways to gain access to quality talent.

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Freelancing platforms are one of them. The benefits of the freelance lifestyle are attracting experienced legal professionals to opt out of the traditional work model. Platforms make freelancing even more appealing by offering lawyers the perks and securities of a traditional workplace, like malpractice insurance, 401k, and even gym memberships or co-working spaces. They also make it easy for companies to connect with talent.

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Platforms have access to a large and diverse pool of pre-vetted lawyers which means they can match clients with the right person for a specific job. This is especially important for work that requires specialist knowledge. The nature of freelancing means that clients are not restricted by geography, even if the ideal candidate lives in Timbuktu.

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Law firms may offer employees (and clients) prestige and bragging rights but by 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millennials. Research tells us that 95% of millennials rank work-life balance as a top priority when job hunting. And according to a survey, 78% of lawyers working for firms in the US would choose flexible working over a 10% raise. It seems likely that more and more lawyers will be taking the solo route. And it only makes sense that the best and brightest talent will be among them.

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Flexibility and efficiency

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Solo lawyers can step in to complete short-term, high-volume projects that would otherwise eat into the time of in-house staff. This is far more efficient than hiring a permanent employee or disrupting the day to day work of a staff member. Low value or routine tasks (like large document reviews, compliance and contract life cycle management) and even more complex tasks (like drafting and legal research) needn’t always be performed by highly experienced staffers. Solo lawyers who specialize in routine tasks can often complete them more quickly.

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Hiring solo lawyers allows companies to be adaptive to changes in workload and to mix and match specialist knowledge at their disposal. Since the start of the pandemic there has been a surge in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets activity. Companies could adapt to this change in the demand by temporarily expanding teams that deal with those kinds of matters. They can also take on niche projects they wouldn’t otherwise have the capital to complete. This is especially useful for small law firms which have a limited offering but want to offer existing clients the full package.

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What’s more? Freelancers can be integrated into an in-house team which means companies can retain ownership of a project in a way that isn’t possible when outsourcing a project to a law firm.

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Using freelancers to maximize efficiency and adaptability has been de rigueur in other professions for decades but the legal industry has been slow off the mark. Critics warn that the industry must abandon old-fashioned work structures before it gets left behind.

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If you want top legal talent that works around your changing needs at a good price- then it’s time to go solo. A platform like Lawtrades is the best place to start.

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➕Create a position today

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So you’ve just decided to transition into your solo journey. You’ve set up the home office, created your LLC, have the engagements nailed down, and coordinated your ideal work-life schedule. You’ve got it all figured out. Well, except that one thing. All the backend software you’ll need to keep your business running smoothly. Here’s a handy guide that breaks down the types of software you should consider when launching your digital firm, and how to implement them.

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Legal software comes in three different categories. There’s accounting (business/trust accounting, financial reporting), document management (document storage, email management, contract implementation), and practice management (time, billing, calendaring). A large firm will likely need to invest into a full-stack of software to run their operations. For a solo practitioner, that’s seldom the case. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn't consider investing into some lower-tier operating systems to optimize your workflows.

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Take a look at your daily operations, and pay close attention to the ones that are eating up your time. Are you spending hours on accounting? Feeling overwhelmed with document implementation? Consider if there’s a way to aid efficiency. And if so, where at. If you can pinpoint the particulars, it’s a sign you’re due for an upgrade. After all, you want to make sure that your efforts are focused on the areas you know best (and the ones that pay your salary)- legal.

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Let’s take a deeper look at each.

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Accounting Software

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Manual accounting is time consuming, and subject to human error. Don’t underestimate how tricky this part of the process can be. You want to ensure that your numbers are reported correctly, so you’ll have a foolproof tax season (freelance goals!). What’s more, the right accounting software can help you make data-driven decisions that give you the insights you need to make the big business decisions.

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At minimum, the software you choose should include bookkeeping, time-tracking, trust-accounting, billing, and payments. Make sure there are enhanced security features to protect client, and business data. And, of course, make sure it’s backed by the cloud (you don’t want to lose critical data).

Here’s some of the options that our talent network recommend:

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• Stripe: Helps you streamline invoices, by allowing you to accept payments, send payouts, manage business spend, and even provides access to financing.  
• Square: Provides access to secure digital payments from anything to small businesses to large corporations with the flexibility to scale up your package at any time.
• Clio Suite: As the only end-to-end software solution for law firms, Clio was designed specifically with legal in mind. They help you standardize your firm’s processes, automate tasks, and have a pretty handy billing package that streamlines payment- with a suite of financial reporting to support.

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Go ahead and take advantage of demos and free trial periods to test them out. Just note, your accounting software should integrate seamlessly with the existing workflows you currently use- it shouldn’t add more work to your already overflowing plate!

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Contracting Software

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If you’re going out on your own, you’ll definitely be dealing with contracts at some point or another. While they can be a bit costly, they offer countless upsides. You don’t want to have to go through the same, lengthy process every time you need to send one. Contracting software can streamline your workflow by handling both creating, and managing contracts.

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Look for a user-friendly platform that can seamlessly automate communication flow, and that includes a process for systematizing roles and responsibilities. It’ll more than double execution time, and you’ll be able to share the document without the burden of constant emailing.

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Make sure it’s compatible with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and electronic signature. Clients need to be able to quickly review agreements, issue approvals, or request additional details without getting caught in virtual roadblocks.

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Here are some of the industry leaders:  

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• Ironclad: While the name Alex Su may initially come to mind, they’ve set the bar high for contracting software. Their fully integrated platform helps you avoid bottlenecks with built-in features of redlining, editing, and audit logging.
• Docusign: As the most widely used electronic signature, you can’t go wrong with docusign. Sign documents anywhere, from any device. Plus, it’s more secure than paper.

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Ask yourself if the software will be compatible with the needs of your business, and the clients you’ll be working with. If you handle specific matters that require customization, make sure you choose a tech stack that’ll suit those needs.

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Practice Management

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When going solo, practice management can be the hardest part. Existing software is expensive, and you may be unsure of your future needs. Lawtrades provides a fully automated (and free!) practice management tool that allows you to launch your virtual firm in a matter of minutes.

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When you launch your practice on Lawtrades, you have access to our amazing network of clients (Such as Doordash, Pinterest, Udemy…& more), and a peer-community of like minded legal pros. We provide timekeeping software, and have a built-in invoicing program so you can spend your time focusing on those billable hours. And, legal professionals working over 30 hours have access to paid time off, medical, dental, and vision coverage- and a 401k.

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Stepping out and taking charge of your career can be a whirlwind, but so worthwhile. Make the transition as smooth as possible by flushing out the unknowns and building out your business to thrive in the ever-increasing digital world. By investing in a full-stack of software, you’ll ensure it’s built on stable ground.

➕Launch your digital firm today.

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Background

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Meet Ashley! He’s from Dallas, TX and has held a varied (and interesting!) path to law. While attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he was given the opportunity to transport legal papers from A to B as a “runner” at a local law firm. He loved the environment, and stayed on full time after graduating until eventually deciding to pursue a career in law at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Since then, his career has taken him to being the general counsel for some of the largest telecom companies in the world.

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Path to Lawtrades

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After over 15 years of in-house general counsel experience, Ashley realized he wanted to take a break from his traditional career to venture into his passions. And, he had a few goals…the biggest, write his upcoming book- Standing Up To China. He connected with Lawtrades via a mutual friend, and saw it as the perfect opportunity to use his experience to practice law while investing into his personal brand.

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“Lawtrades allows me to use my years of experience to still practice law, while also pursuing my passions of becoming an author, blogger, podcaster, and speaker.”

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Success with Lawtrades

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Lawtrades was Ashley’s first freelancing platform. The projects and objectives he engaged in were clear, which allowed him to focus on his legal expertise- without all the background noise.

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“Being on the Lawtrades platform, clients already have a certain level of respect and confidence in you. Lawtrades carefully vets each law professional, so clients have full trust in who they are working with and that is evident.”

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Flexible Working Hours

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Outside of work, you’ll catch Ashley engaging with one of his many passions: writing, podcasting, speaking at an event, or cooking! Because he’s able to work remotely with Lawtrades, he can to focus on his specialized legal expertise instead of all the issues that have little to do with the actual practice of law. This year, he’s looking forward to publishing his book (to be released on April 5th, 2022!), while further developing his podcast and website.

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“Lawtrades has allowed me to follow and elevate my passions and goals. I now have my own podcast, website, and book. This would not have been easily done if it wasn’t for the opportunity given to me by Lawtrades!”

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💭 Dreaming of taking some time off to chase after your passions? Join our talented community, just like Ashley did!

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Is working in a traditional career the best option for law professionals today?

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No, seriously. With the pandemic completely reshaping how and where work is done, and platforms like Lawtrades making it easier and more lucrative, is going freelance worth it?

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Sure, working for yourself can seem scary at first—what if I fail to find clients? What guarantee do I have that this will remain stable?

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But for those who take the plunge, it soon becomes clear that freelancing requires some effort initially to get things rolling, but then rewards you in ways a job in a firm never could.

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So why should a legal professional go freelance? Let's take a look at some of the hidden benefits of freelancing in legal:

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• Work on a variety of cases across different legal fields
• Create the schedule and work-life balance you want
• Make good money, and keep benefits
• Find a community
• Start your own practice

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Work a Variety of Cases and Clients

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Most attorneys working in a small firm don't have room to take on different types of cases. If the firm does tax law, that's what you do. Even at a Big Law firm, you may only be working on one or two major cases at a time—if that case or client doesn't fully engage you, too bad.

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With freelancing, you can work across any type of law you'd like: help with a legal brief for an environmental protection case today, then do discovery for a large contract law case tomorrow. You decide the projects you take on. What's more, you decide the clients you work with, so if there's a client you enjoyed working with (say, that high-growth startup in North Carolina, or that legacy brand in Seattle), you can work with them again and again. Conversely, if there's a client that you didn't have the best experience with, you never have to work with them again.

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Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility

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Are you more night-owl than early bird? Maybe you just become a zombie during the middle of the day and can't get much done, or have to drop the kids off at school every morning and then pick them up every day at 2:30?

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If you're at a firm, your work schedule is pretty locked in and overtime is expected. Freelancing allows you to break free from that life, and create a schedule that works for you. Put in a few hours after breakfast and dropping the kids off at school, then come back for a few more hours in the evening when the house quiets down.

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Not only this, but it opens up a floodgate of opportunities to pursue other goals. In the freelance world, most of the roles are project-based. This means you’ll be able to dedicate your time to the areas of your expertise, and not get caught up in all the finicky tasks. Dreaming of starting a podcast, or a niche blog? The world is yours.

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And if working 3 or 4 days a week is better for you than 5 days—with Tuesday through Thursday being your off days—that's your choice. Plus, remote work means you can be at home this month, and in another country next month, with no need to rearrange things.

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Money and Benefits

One of the biggest concerns for people leaving a traditional workplace to go freelance is money. Will I make a comparable wage? Will it be stable? And what about benefits like medical coverage and a retirement plan?

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Good news: Lawtrades offers a benefits package. Anyone using the platform who ​​works 30 or more hours per week is eligible to switch to a W2 tax model, and qualifies for paid time off, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a 401(k). If you dip below 30 hours a week from time to time? That's ok, you won't lose your coverage.

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And what about pay? Sure, a seasoned attorney at a Big Law firm in New York or San Francisco can reasonably earn mid-six-figures. Then again, the cost of living in those cities are sky-high. But working freelance can regularly bring you over $100/hr, and you can live/work anywhere.

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What's more, the opportunities for freelance legal work are only growing. A 2017 Altman Weil survey found that about 58% of firms used contract lawyers, while about 20% outsourced non-lawyer functions—and that was in 2017.

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Those figures have, by all accounts, grown during the pandemic.

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All this to say, there is plenty of work out there for everyone. There might be a transitional period while you figure out how to build your client roster, but stability and good money are very possible!

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Find People Like You

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While it's definitely a plus to remove yourself from office politics as a freelancer, you also get to choose the people around you—that is, your community.

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One benefit of using Lawtrades is that the user make-up is much more diversified than most law firms. 60% of the talent network is women, and 35% are minorities. Those figures are double that of Big Law.

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Find others like you, and set up a weekly coffee shop work session. Or even build a community of like-minded legal professionals who meet for happy hour. It's a great way to network, exchange tips and opportunities, collaborate, and since you're all freelance, there is no office drama, and the dynamics are so much more relaxed!

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Hang Up a Virtual Shingle

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Until quite recently, striking out on your own as a legal professional and hanging up a shingle meant tons of overhead: renting an office, taking out ads, hiring staff, etc.

Those expenses are all but gone now. Hang up a virtual shingle, and platforms like Lawtrades help you fill in the rest. No need for an office (unless, of course, you want one), and finding clients is as easy as browsing.

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For legal professionals who may not be ready to dive into full-time freelancing, the risks of even just testing the waters have been removed.

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If you've been considering leaving your traditional legal job to freelance, it's easier now than it has ever been to do so. Not only is the industry evolving towards a more remote and flexible model, but platforms like Lawtrades remove many of the barriers to branching out on your own.

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Freelancing can be a scary proposition, that's for sure. But the quality of life it brings, along with massive opportunity for growth and access to benefits, can be hugely rewarding.

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In November 2021, President Biden ordered a broad-scale workplace vaccine mandate. The mandate required employees of large businesses with 100+ employees to get jabbed or get tested weekly. POTUS hoped the rule would prevent 6.5k deaths and 250k hospitalizations.

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It’s an understatement that not everyone was thrilled about the idea. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle complained of government overreach. Others asked whether the mandate was lawful, ethical or practical, given challenges around implementation and possible staff shortages in healthcare and other sectors. Lawsuits were launched by businesses, states and religious groups challenging the mandate. Many of them were successful.

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Finally, in mid-January, the US Supreme Court blocked the mandate in a split vote, describing it as a “blunt instrument” which did not have the support of Congress.

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So where does that leave businesses?

With a nationwide mandate blocked, businesses will now have to decide for themselves how to balance workplace safety with the danger of losing employees who refuse to comply. Here are some of your vaccine mandate questions answered.

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What are most businesses doing?

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After his plan turned out to be a dud, Biden hoped to persuade  businesses to introduce their own mandates by dropping a little bit of peer pressure. According to him, 1 in 3 Fortune 100 companies already require their employees to get jabbed. A survey of 6000+ US employers found that:

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• 2 in 3 US companies are implementing mandates
• 27% of US companies plan to require employees to be double vaxxed
• Another 18% plan to mandate triple vaxxing
• Another 18% will implement mandates but only for some staff

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Tech companies have led the charge with Facebook, Google, Lyft, Netflix, Twitter and others all making their mandate policies public. United Airlines, Tyson Food, Goldman Sachs, and at least 23 law firms have also issued mandates while Boeing, General Electric and Amazon have resisted or recalled theirs.

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Just more than half of Americans support these mandates.

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Will mandates lead to staff shortages?

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The pandemic has seen demand for legal services soar with law revenues rocketing by around 19% in 2021. Competition for talent is fierce, leading firms to up starting associate salaries by $15k. And a record number of Americans quit their job last year in what’s been called the Great Resignation. So it’s not a good time to scare off employees.

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Do vaccine mandates incentivize jabs or do they send staff packing? The stats say, well, a bit of both.

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• 17% of Americans say they will not get vaccinated
• ~15% of Biden voters who do not plan to get vaccinated say they would do so if their employer required it
• That figure is under 10% for non-voters and under 5% for Trump voters

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Some data comes from healthcare systems that have implemented mandates. In most cases, the proportion of employees who were terminated or quit in response to mandates is around 1%. For example:

• Kaiser Permanente lost around 2.2k employees from a workforce of 240k
• Mayo Clinic fired 700 employees from a staff of 73k

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For others the attrition rate was much higher. NYC Health + Hospitals lost around 2.5k of 43k workers - roughly 5% of the workforce. And more than 50k care home workers in England could walk out over a vaccine mandate.

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Depending on the size of your team and how easily you can replace people, losing 1% of your staff might be a total disaster or not much of a big deal.

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Reports suggest that the legal industry is generally a fan of the jab. One expert said in September that most law firms had vax rates of more than 85% and 11 large firms reported rates of more than 90% in a survey back in August. That number is likely to be even higher now. The same may well be true for in-house talent. And as more firms introduce mandates, talent may find there is nowhere to go to avoid getting jabbed. It’s possible that mandate related staff shortages may be a non-issue for legal teams.

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What do mandates achieve?

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Having members of your team off sick or isolating can be a major headache, especially if the virus hits a bunch of people at the same time. Getting everybody vaxxed means they’re less likely to be infected and if they do test positive they’ll probably be back at work sooner. High vax rates might also be comforting for any feeling anxious about getting back in the office.

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However, a mandate can sometimes backfire. One study found that some people rebelled against vaccination because they felt bullied into it by measures like vaccine passports. After all, most of us don’t like being told what to do. Companies could try using a carrot rather than a stick. Authorities and businesses around the world have offered a huge range of incentives including free desserts, marijuana joints and even a chance at winning a cow.

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Are there options?

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Companies can opt for a ‘soft’ mandate which means there are exemptions - for things like medical conditions or religious beliefs - and/or regular testing is offered as an alternative. It’s likely most people will get jabbed if the alternative (e.g. applying for an exemptions) is even slightly more inconvenient. Some companies are letting anti-vax employees work from home. Others, like law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman, have extended their mandate to clients and guests.

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In the UK, several major retailers have cut sick pay for unvaccinated employees. Incentives like these are a softer way of encouraging employees to get jabbed, without threatening job loss.

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What about local regulations?

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The Big Apple is one place doing things it’s own way. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a municipality-wide vaccine mandate for all private sector employees in December. The mandate is actually stricter than Biden’s because it doesn’t allow for testing as an alternative. The NYC rule is not going anywhere, despite POTUS’ failure at the Supreme Court. Rule breakers can be fined up to $1k per violation.

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Other areas have gone in the opposite direction. In Montana and Tennessee, private employers are banned from mandating jabs. In 9 states, including Texas and Florida, employers are allowed to implement mandates but only if they provide exemptions.

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So what does the future hold?

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Some experts say it’s time to dump mass vaxxing and only jab the vulnerable. It’s not clear whether that notion will catch on. On the other hand, there’s always the danger (please no!) of another, more dangerous variant that sends officials hustling to get more needles in arms. One thing we’ve learned in the last two years is that we can’t predict the future. Companies should be ready to evolve with the time.

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Illustration by Alex William

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Dear Lawtrades community,

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I’m thrilled to announce that Lawtrades has raised $6 million from 100+ of the world’s top investors, customers, and operators to create an enduring legal marketplace for the next 100 years.

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I’d love it if you’d like / share the news here on Linkedin and Twitter.

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2021 was a great year for Lawtrades.

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We grew the team from 6 to 15. Released our iOS testflight app to beta users. Doubled the number of active engagements. Helped legal freelancers earn $12m on the platform to date.

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Now what does this mean for you?

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1. Lawtrades will become simpler, faster, and more reliable. Our product feels great today, but it needs to be best-in-class, like any other product you deeply love. I’m excited to spend the majority of this round to hire world-class engineers and designers.
2. Rebrand. We’ll be unveiling a brand refresh with a new name and logo to better reflect our 10 year vision.
3. You’ll be better supported. We believe that nothing beats the experience of being helped by a real human at every step of your journey. Regardless of how much more self-serve our product becomes, we’ll continue to invest in customer support and our own community so that each and every one of you receive the support, guidance, and education to build thriving remote legal teams.
4. We’re in this for the long-term. As a revenue-generating business and with our new fundraise, I hope you know that we’re in this journey with you for a long, long time to come.

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Lawtrades is not just another legaltech company. It’s a platform that reflects a new era of work on the internet. It's an entirely new form of entrepreneurship that's wild and free of corporate constraints.

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Our vision is to expand economic opportunity in the world by bringing every member of the global workforce online.

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I wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped us get to this point - our customers, our talent network, our team, and our investors - this adventure is just getting started, and we’re grateful for your early belief in us.

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Best,

Raad & Ashish

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It’s about time we accepted that remote interviews are the way of the world now. Long gone are the times of waiting nervously, going on that awkward office tour, and sitting face-to-face with your interviewer. Let’s face it, it’s a lot simpler to hop on a zoom call. That doesn’t mean everything you learned, and practiced for in-person interviews should go out the window. Even so, remote interviews demand some unique characteristics.

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Here’s 5 tips to take into your next remote interview, so you can score that dream job you’ve been waiting for.

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1. Appearance

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Yes, it’s still the first thing the interviewer will see. Your Appearance in a remote interview captures a bigger picture than you may initially think. Look professional, but don’t overdo it. Chances are, if you’re interviewing remotely- the job is also remote. Ditch the suit jacket, and consider something more casual. While tempting, avoid the virtual background. Yes, it’s great that you love the mountains, or want to appear to be in outer space. But they tend to glitch, and can be distracting.

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Pick a clean, and neutral background that is free of noise when conducting the interview. Practice the set-up beforehand so you know what you look like, and make some tweaks if necessary. Make sure you are level, centered with the screen, and have proper lighting. Spending time to ensure the set-up is interview-ready will make the interview a lot less stressful.

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2. Technology

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While some of us may be a little bit too comfortable with using Zoom these days, it doesn’t hurt to practice a rundown of the specific platform the interview is conducted over. A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review found that technology failed in 41% of remote interviews. You want to set up the best possible circumstances for it to work smoothly. We all know the stress of hopping onto Zoom and seeing the update now button, or simply not being able to enter a call due to a faulty link. Test the link, and make sure you’re on a secure wifi connection. If it’s prone to being slow, ask those around you to stay off, or maybe even rely on your mobile hotspot. Pro Tip: Google has an internet speed test that lets you test how fast your connection is. Don’t forget to test your headphones and speakers. The last thing you want is to be fumbling around with the audio settings at the beginning of the interview. By thoroughly testing everything beforehand, you’ll ensure a blip-free connection.

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3. Exaggerate

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We all experience the muffled audio, and slight blurred lag that comes with zoom - and every other teleconferencing platform. You want to look engaged, but the traditional signals (like sitting up, or responsive body language) make it tough when connecting virtually. Try exaggerating your responses a bit, with the goal of looking eager, but natural. A hand signal or two never hurts, and a smile does wonders. During a job interview you’re actually auditioning for the role. By thinking of it in these terms, it’s easier to visualize and practice what you should be focusing on. Obviously you want to exude confidence, and competency…but you also want to exude the characteristics the company stands for. Take note of the company values (maybe a quick LinkedIn search of CEOs/Notable employees) so you have an idea of what they’re looking for in a successful candidate.

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Of course, don’t forget to practice. Give it a go, and record yourself doing so. Many of us do not realize how fast we’re speaking when nervous. Slow down, and practice your pace- so you come across as relaxed and confident. Not to mention, slowing down will give you better clarity of thought, so you can make sure you’re answering questions thoughtfully, and not just as a jumble of filler words rifling out of your mouth. This is harder than it looks! Even the best of us get nervous during interviews, and it’s easy to fall back on old ways. Even though it seems pointless, the more you practice- the more comfortable you'll be. Play it back, and make sure it looks casual. Remember, you want to stand out for your abilities as a candidate, not for being the running joke of the slack chat.

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4. Read the Room (Virtually)

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This one is tough. Social cues are inherently difficult to read over technology, and the 9x16 screen only conveys so much. In a traditional setting, it’s easy to see when an interviewer is getting bored. There’s the tell-tale signs of paper shuffling, looking off into the distance, tapping foot, etc. Yet, there are a few ways you can virtually read your interviewer. First, it’s essential to maintain eye contact. Keep in mind… to maintain eye contact over a video call, you’ll have to look into the camera, and not on the screen (we know…this one is tough!). Maintaining eye contact will demonstrate your interest in the interview, and maintain the interest of the interviewer.

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If you are answering a question, and their eyes start veering off into the distance- they’re probably bored. Wrap it up, and move onto the next subject. This goes for yourself too. Try not to read notes when answering a question. You want to have all notifications silenced, and ideally have all other tabs closed. If you want to reference your CV, or resume try printing it out- and be honest about using it. It’s obvious when you are switching between tabs on your computer, and can deter the interviewer. By printing any necessary info out, you can quickly glance over to reference when needed without looking distracted or disengaged. Besides, the interview will flow more conversationally, and you’ll better keep the attention of the interviewer.

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5. Ask Questions

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A traditional workplace setting is very cut and dry. You know the hours you’ll be working, what desk you’ll be working at, and how you’ll communicate with the team. Online work is a bit tricky. There’s a plethora of workspaces the team may use (like google workspace, notion, microsoft teams), as well as means of communication (slack, telegram, discord, email). Many companies use multiple interchangeably, and there’s often several ways teams communicate with each other.. ask upfront. You don’t want to come into a new job fiddling with several tabs and constantly pinging your coworkers- or not pinging them enough. Not only these, but ask questions to try to understand what a day in the life of the job looks like, how success is measured, and how a team culture is maintained. Make sure it is a good fit for your career, but also your desired work-life balance.

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By asking questions particular to remote, or online jobs-you’ll gain a step up to the other interviewees who may have never worked remotely before (even if you haven’t either!). If you’re working a part-time, or project based role- it’s even more important to gain a sense of the expected working hours, and deadlines…since you may be juggling multiple at the same time.

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What about Legal?

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Interviewing for remote-based legal jobs may have seemed like a long-off dream years ago, but the remote-based legal job market has been flourishing as of late. Legal remote hires often happen at a quicker pace than the traditional process you may be familiar with. Whether the company is looking to hire someone to tackle a specific gap, or simply for additional support- be confident, personable, and ready to jump in.

Be honest about your availability and what hours you’ll be online for. Decide what your perfect work-life balance looks like, and be upfront about it. The working culture in legal can be a bit cumbersome, but if you left your Big Law position to have more flexibility, make sure to discuss that. And, if you’re interviewing for a project-based position, be ready to provide estimates on time frames. Most importantly, ask the questions you need to be 100% comfortable with remote-based work. This may be your first remote-based role in legal, and it can be strikingly different from what you’re comfortable with.

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Whether you’re looking for a full-time position, part-time gigs, or project-based remote opportunities in legal, Lawtrades is here to help. We offer all the resources you need to build your perfect remote working environment, and have a generous network of amazing clients you can work with.

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

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If you've been following the tweets of Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, or other tech insiders, you might have already heard the term Web3 (or Web 3.0). But what does it actually mean? And how might the next evolution of the internet affect you and your business? Let's take a look.

First of all, what even is Web3?

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Well, if the early Internet (Web1) was a decentralized place that people were just figuring out, Web2 was when companies like Google, Facebook, and a handful of others came in to centralize everything through their platforms. Looking for a webpage? You go through Google. Consuming content? Probably through Netflix or one of Facebook's arms. We may be returning to a more decentralized Internet, however, with Web3. How? By using technologies like Blockchain and networks like Ethereum, the Internet is evolving back to a more egalitarian model outside the control of a few companies and their VC backers. Let's unpack what these technologies are a bit.

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Without getting too technical, a blockchain is a data ledger that is built in such a way so that it cannot be changed or augmented retroactively—therefore, it is considered "non-fungible". Any piece of information can be tagged as a "token" (say, a photo, or a webpage, or a unit of digital currency, or a sharable user profile). When this token's metadata is built as a blockchain, it is considered a "non-fungible token" or NFT. So, if I transfer a token to you, and the blockchain data is updated to reflect that, it cannot be changed later to erase the transfer. If you were to go back in and change the data chain, it would effectively destroy the entire token.

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Furthermore, the blockchain data of that NFT is stored on a digital network, but it is not stored on a privately-owned cloud. Instead, it is stored in a decentralized way—through global networks like Ethereum. These networks have no single server, but encrypt and replicate the data across every node in the entire system. If 100 people are part of the Ethereum network, then whenever data is updated, it is updated on all 100 nodes with each node serving to validate all others.

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What do people say about it?

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"[T]here is no CEO of Ethereum or Bitcoin, and teams working on building and maintaining the protocols are global communities eschewing central leadership," writes Roman Kropp, Managing Director at tts Transformation Consulting GmbH. By working together to ensure the success of Etherieum and blockchain technology, all players bolster its value and share in the reward—there is no company or investor at the top extracting the value.

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This ability to circumvent players like Facebook and Google and the massive profits they glean is creating a new vision of the Internet and beyond. However, not everyone agrees with this picture. Jack Dorsey argued in a recent Twitter thread that institutional blockchain investors are already swooping in to capitalize on Web3 infrastructure. Dorsey stated that "you don’t own ‘web3’. The VCs and their LPs do. It will never escape their incentives.”

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What does it mean for businesses?

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Regardless of the role of the investor/VC in current or future technologies, blockchain and decentralization will continue to reshape the Internet over the coming years. For businesses, it further stands to reshape the nature of hiring and of work itself. The most evident changes will be in two key ways: attracting and on-boarding talent, and in equity/compensation structures.

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First, let's look at equity and compensation.

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Millennials and Gen Zers are less inclined to follow linear career paths. Instead, they are pursuing fulfillment and purpose and are looking for work that aligns with their values—rewarding them in the process.

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“Web3 companies are poised to capture much of the young talent since Web3 ethos is about collaboration, cooperation and reciprocity,” En Canada, a Web3 community leader, recently told Forbes. And these companies will not only attract young talent with Web3 tech, but reward their collaboration with shared equity in the form of tokens. These tokens issued by the company/project will incentivize contributors to further its success in order to increase their value.

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How does this work in a real-world setting?

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Raad Ahmed, founder and CEO of Lawtrades, points to cryptocurrencies themselves as a test case. As he explains, they distribute tokens to users and/or allow anyone to buy tokens, which then creates direct community ownership leading to a sense of responsibility for the project's success and ultimately higher retention in the form of usage.

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Tokens are not limited to the realm of cryptocurrencies, of course, and companies should embrace the technology as a way to link employee ownership with contribution and collaboration to increase value. As Ahmed notes, Braintrust Creative has already begun implementing this model by building an online marketplace for talent that has users transact in dollars, but utilize a token built on Ethereum for incentives and governance system.  

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Tokens also allow for far more transparency and ease of exchange than traditional equity shares. No more byzantine ownership structures and shareholder vs. stakeholder conflicts. Of course, NFTs remain unregulated, which poses some challenges and risks to be worked out as the infrastructure becomes more widely adopted.

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With that being said, however, Web3 won’t just revolutionize financial incentives for work—it will revolutionize our digital identities. Most notably, hiring practices will change.

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How will it change the world of hiring?

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Today, most corporate hiring relies on two main tools: the interview and the resume/CV. But these are outdated practices—relics from a pre-digital age, to say nothing of their major flaws. Not only does an interview open the door to discrimination, but not all good candidates are good interviewers (and vice versa). As for resumes and CVs, work histories can be exaggerated if not flat out fabricated. With the rise of remote work (a trend that will only continue to grow), Web3 enables us to move past antiquated HR practices and streamline hiring.

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“How it will work: you apply for a job, it scans the blockchain and rates your set of on-chain experiences and credentials, [and if it's] above a certain rating, you’re hired within 60 seconds,” explains Greg Isenberg, CEO of a Web3 design firm. “No prejudice, no wasted time, no pain.”

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It’s an attractive idea. No more middlemen like recruiters or job sites. No more guessing about a candidate and going through the lengthy process of verifying their history. Acquired a new skill? Add it to your “resume chain”. Promoted at a job? Get it on there.

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But maybe resumes themselves will become obsolete in favor of a new system—a digital ID token of sorts. "Who you know (connections), and showing your work (a portfolio), will be greater than your resume," adds Raad. "Recruiters and job seekers will pivot to 'Proof of Talent'."

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That's a shift that will remake traditional HR. As Kropp notes, “with all my encrypted master data safely stored on the blockchain, I can provide a unique digital ID to anyone I do business with. No need for my counterparts to obtain – or, god forbid, store in their data base - information on my location, sex, race, or age.” Digital ID token can enable near-instantenous on-boarding while minimizing discrimination and candidate risk, and significantly reduces HR costs in the process.

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Let's go one step further: the very infrastructure of employment—insurance, healthcare, retirement, taxation, and more—will be redefined by Web3. According to Kevin Owocki, founder of a Web3 crowd-funding site, "as the IoJ [Internet of Jobs] grows, new infrastructure will emerge that handles these attributes." And as that infrastructure appears, is adopted, and evolves, more and more people will join the IoJ creating a positive feedback loop.

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What about legal?

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For the legal community, however, Web3 poses both opportunities and challenges. Blockchain technology and platforms like Ethereum have no real government regulation and the legal precedent around disputes is very thin. The very properties that enable decentralized blockchain technology also make it hard to govern. For example, under what jurisdiction is an NFT if it exists on every node in a blockchain network (which may be spread across every country on earth)? What’s more, best practices around integrating blockchain technology into contracts and legal cases is yet to be established.

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"It will likely be difficult for any organization that has to ensure effective risk management to consider a purely permissionless blockchain system without some additional protections," John Salmon and Gordon Myers note in a report for the International Finance Corporation. "Regardless of the model adopted by those seeking to use blockchain, it is important that regulators remain flexible in their approach to this emerging technology—and avoid viewing it through a lens designed for more traditional, centralized platforms."

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It's clear that as Web3 develops and more organizations adopt its protocols, the transition will require constant adjustment and management. However, for those who navigate this new technology well, there stand to be exciting new potentials and massive opportunities.

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New Year, New You…New Year, New Career? Fluctuating variants, the precarity of rising inflation, and the popularity of the Great Resignation has made many seriously consider leaving their lackluster careers. For good.  

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People want more flexibility, a better work-life balance, and to put it simply- to have control over their lives. The average employee is seeking a hybrid work model, looking for part-time interaction, and the ability to work remotely. It’s not surprising that many employers are failing to meet these needs.

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Quite frankly, people are burnt out. The striking imbalance between what employees want, and what employers are willing to give is the cherry on top of the cake. One viable cure? Quitting. Saying no is becoming increasingly fashionable, and quitting is now considered as the ultimate form of self care. But as we all know, it’s easier said than done. Don’t give up hope just yet! By carefully strategizing an exit plan, you can put yourself in the best position to find that dream engagement, and finally let the door slam on that less than ideal job.  

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What about Legal?

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Well, the world of legal has not been spared. The legal profession is undergoing drastic changes due in part to the interruptions Covid has left behind. Big Law has traditionally offered better compensation and benefits, but they’ve experienced a lag in progress that’s left lawyers looking elsewhere. And, when some companies tried to make a return to office mandatory...they were swiftly faced with a surprising number of employees who resigned.

According to Attorney at Law Magazine, large numbers of lawyers have quit due to the treatment they have received from customers, management, and law firm partners…basically all major stakeholders! Management strategies and employee incentives of the past have done little to retain associates in 2021. Big Law firms are desperate to retain top talent, and some have even looked toward Canada to fill vacancies. Let’s not forget that many large firms have increased starting associate salaries to $205K this summer, which is up an ample 10% compared to last year.  

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So, where are they going? More and more legal professionals are seeking flexible arrangements that allow them to maximize their work-life balance. Lawyers are opening their eyes to building their own solo-practice, so they can take charge of their career- and lead it in the direction that best suits their needs.

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Practical tips on how to resign

Let’s face it, quitting can feel like jumping into an unknown abyss. There are endless potentialities, and it seems like a logistical nightmare. Of course, you’re asking yourself: How soon can I land another job? Can I afford it, and for how long? Is it even worth it? Shall I just stay put?

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In an ideal world, you’d have your dream job lined up before quitting your current one. But that’s not an option for most. If you’re truly seeking a change for the better, the process will take time…but it doesn’t have to be as arduous as you might think.

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Here’s what you can do to plan your escape.

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Step 1: Decide what you want
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Sure, it sounds simple. But you need to spend time on this. You’ve already been dreaming about leaving your current position, although it may seem like a jumble of mini rants about what you hate about your boss, your coworkers, or the job itself. Start taking note about what you dislike, so you can search for the exact opposite. Thoroughly consider what’s not working at your current job, and what you are non- negotiables for your next position.

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Try out the tactic Robin Arzón (former corporate lawyer turned VP of fitness at Peloton) used to switch out of her 80-hour workweeks in Big Law. She blocked off 10 minutes a day to figure out her next career move. It makes it less daunting, and can aggregate into something real over time.

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Step 2: The Financial Stuff

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This is the most crucial step for everyone. It’s the breaking point between a plausible exit, or staying financially stable but unfavorably stuck in your current role. It may even be the reason you want to quit…We’re not going to sugarcoat it. It’s a touchy, and outright scary topic.

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Be prepared to leave financially, the moment you give notice. In fields like legal, the confidential nature of the work may result in being asked to leave right away to protect internal information. Make sure you are able to cover at least three months’ expenses. Take a minute to review all the benefits you’re currently under, and consider if you can live without them for a bit. You may have to take a bare-bones approach before landing something new.

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That’s all fine and dandy in a perfect world. The reality is that many are not able to afford that. A more feasible alternative? Consider moonlighting as a starting off point. By working part-time roles, you can explore opportunities that better suit your interests, and save up so you can secure the financial stability to actually take the exit. Just make sure to read the fine print so you know if it’s within your company’s policy.

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Step 3: Clock Out, for good

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So you’ve done all the upfront planning, and your goal date is fast approaching. You have another job lined up, or are taking some time to land your perfect role. Either way, it’s finally time to say farewell! Make sure to give plenty of notice. Although the standard is two weeks, it may be beneficial to give your current employer more leeway. After all, it’s in your best interest to leave on good terms…even if you’d rather make that dramatic, rage-filled exit we’ve all fantasized about.

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Give notice the right way. The formal way to call it quits is through a resignation letter delivered either face-to-face, or via a video call. Be direct about it. State your reason for leaving, when you are leaving, and a closing statement with some form of gratitude for the opportunity. Keep it cordial, after all- you want to secure that recommendation letter.

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Plan as best you can to make the transition smooth for all parties involved. Make sure you’ve tied any loose ends, and briefed your coworkers on any important to-dos. You never know who you’ll work alongside in the future, so it’s important to leave a positive impression. Say a formal goodbye, and let that chapter (finally!) close behind you.

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Quitting takes guts. If you’re looking for the opportunity to finally cultivate that perfect work-life balance, or looking to moonlight for a bit before landing that dream gig- now is as good as timing will ever be. At Lawtrades, we’re pros at getting you hired. We offer part-time, full-time, or even project-by-project opportunities. What’s more? You have the freedom to choose the hours and rate you deserve.

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➕Join our network today

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Background

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Meet Sheilla! Hailing from Nashville, she began her career in Law in Louisville, Kentucky in 1993. And, she’s had quite the unconventional path into law. After working for more than 10 years in the hospitality industry, Sheilla quit her job after upper management refused to train her for a higher position. One of her regular customers caught her on her way out, handed her a business card, and the rest was history. Just three days later, she walked into a legal secretary position with an oil company. Sheilla prides herself on being an “old-school” paralegal (she never attended formal classes 🤯) and was trained by some of the best transactional attorneys in the southeast. From contract review and negotiation, to data room set up and repository management- Sheilla continues to grow her passion for Legal and Legal Operations.

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Path to Lawtrades

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After Covid hit, Sheilla decided she wanted more flexibility and full-time remote positions. She lost appeal in going into the office, and was interested in the wide range of opportunities she discovered through Lawtrades. Sheilla connected with our amazing talent coordinator Melissa, and worked together to find the perfect fit for her talents. Now with several years of experience under her belt, Sheilla feels freelancing suits both her curiosity and her insatiable desire to continue learning and growing her talents.

Success with Lawtrades

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Sheilla is still relatively new to the Lawtrades community, but she’s already been able to expand her talents through Legal Operations for a mature start-up, and assist with a global corporate restructuring project. She’s got big plans for 2022. She’s looking forward to continuing to expand her talents freelancing with Lawtrades, and is hoping for another good landing spot in the coming year.

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Flexible Working Hours

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Lawtrades provided Sheilla the flexibility and opportunities that are above and beyond what any other firms are offering. She’s culminating that perfect work-life balance by devoting time for her passions: cooking and playing golf with her husband. A master home cook, Sheilla loves trying new recipes and bakes some of the most scrumptious cookies on the planet (Her gingerbread boys with a bite are the envy of all cookie swaps 🤩).

Better said in her own words:

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“Lawtrades has allowed me to have flexibility and to devote my time where I choose to devote it. The project based opportunities that Lawtrades provides allows me to grow and to thrive and never be bored with the same routines. I appreciate the Lawtrades Team and look forward to a long and lasting relationship!”

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Want to further your career? Looking to manage your own time while working with amazing and notable clients? Join our talented community, just like Sheilla did!

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In May 2021, Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M University, told Bloomberg Businessweek, “The great resignation is coming.” The term clearly resonated with a lot of people. It’s been bouncing around news headlines, LinkedIn blogs and Twitter feeds ever since.

Data suggests Klotz’s prophecy is coming true. A record number of Americans said adios to their employers this April. That record was broken in July and again in August. In September, it was broken a fourth time when 4.4 million people - or roughly 3% of the workforce - resigned, leaving behind an unprecedented number of vacancies.

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The trend doesn’t seem to be over yet. The subreddit ‘antiwork’ is fast becoming one of the top-ranking Reddit communities. According to data from Gallup, almost half of Americans say they are actively seeking new roles while 73% of respondents to a survey by job search site Joblist said they are considering quitting in 2022.

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So why is this happening? And how will The Great Resignation impact the legal industry?

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Hasta la vista, baby

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Most of us have worked jobs that made us fantasize about marching out in dramatic style (a bit like this brave/foolish Walmart worker who quit over the store intercom). Here are some of the reasons why more people than usual are chucking it in.

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1. The Great Reconsideration

The pandemic took away lots of things that we care about and gave us plenty of time to think. It also gave many of us the chance to experience working from home. All this has shifted our priorities and changed our attitude to work. Employees are demanding flexible, hybrid work models and improved work-life balance and they’re willing to move jobs or exit full time employment to get it. In the UK, for example, 1 in 4 employees (and 1 in 3 millennials employees) plan to quit if their boss makes them return to the office full time. Around 2 million Americans became freelancers in the year to September 2020 and freelancers now make up 36% of the workforce.

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2. Burnout

A survey of 1000 US employees found that 89% are burned out. Professionals who switched to working-from-home during the pandemic saw working hours creep further and further into personal time. 70% report that they now work on weekends and 45% say their working day is longer than it used to be. It became tricky to distinguish work from homelife when we were forced to spend all our time in the same space. Plus, it’s easy to squeeze in more work when there are no chats at the watercooler or walks between meeting venues. With employees furloughed and resigning, those who kept working found themselves working ‘superjobs’, covering multiple roles while employers couldn’t (or wouldn’t) fill the vacancies.

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In France and Portugal, the government acknowledged the extent of the problem by making laws that prevent employers from contacting employees outside of working hours. Some companies shut down entirely for a week to give their staff a break. For those who weren’t so lucky, 2021 seemed like a good time to drop the mic.

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3. Catching Up & Calling It a Day

It’s likely that people who would have jumped ship in 2020 delayed because stability is attractive in unpredictable times. Now those pent-up retirements and resignations are all happening at once. There have been 2.4 million ‘excess retirements’ since the start of 2020. In addition to those who delayed, some baby boomers are calling it quits early to avoid exposure to the virus or the headaches of adapting to hybrid working. Employers looking to keep things lean likely encouraged them.

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So what’s happening in legal?

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The legal industry has not been spared. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 700k lawyers and other business professionals quit their jobs in just 2 months of this year. That’s the most since 2001. Some of that number are Big Law associates moving between firms. In fact, Big Law collectively has retained 17.71% more of its attorneys in 2021 compared to 2019. Major firms lured talent by upping starting associate salaries from $190k to $205k and giving senior associates bonuses of $100k. But reports suggest that, despite these incentives, some lawyers are leaving firm life altogether.

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Recruiters have seen talent move from traditional law firms towards boutique firms and non-traditional employers. Smaller firms are better placed to offer work models customized to the needs of individual employees. Like the droves of lawyers going freelance, employees heading to boutique firms are seeking job satisfaction and a better work-life balance.

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The hemorrhage hasn’t been helped by a massive increase in demand for legal services. Big Law revenues rocketed by 11% in 2020 and around 19% in 2021 and top firms have seen partner profits exceed $6m. One firm claims demand for their services grew by 20%this year. One of the practice areas seeing the most activity is transactions after the pandemic forced companies to re-evaluate their priorities. Firms were ill-prepared for this boom. Why? Well, between 2019 and 2020, associate hiring almost halved as the initial shock of the pandemic caused fear that work would dry up.

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As a result of talent shortages, Big Law firms are casting a wider net, seeking out associates not only from fellow Am Law 50 or 100 firms but from local and regional outfits. They’re even recruiting from Canada and Australia, and considering graduates from less prestigious universities. They might be glad they did so. Research suggests that workplace diversity is linked to financial success.

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What about in-house teams?

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In-house legal teams are also suffering the impact of the resignation phenomenon but they may ultimately benefit. There is a surge in vacancies for in-house roles. Resignations are particularly high in tech which saw an increase of 4.5%. Demand for tech exploded during the pandemic, leaving tech employees particularly burned out. According to one report, 72% of US tech employees are considering resigning in the next year. But tech companies are more compatible with flexible and hybrid working models than law firms. Many have been working this way since before the pandemic. In-house teams could capitalize on lawyers fleeing Big Law by offering environments that prioritize talent’s well-being - although it may stretch their budgets to compete with Big Law salaries.

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What’s coming next?

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The arrival of Omicron is a reminder that the pandemic is still with us. 493,000 more women than men have gone missing from the workforce since the start of the pandemic, partly due to additional child care duties. They’re unlikely to return while school closures are still on the cards. Some industries - like air travel - are yet to fully reopen which means that even more vacancies could flood the market. On the other hand, pent-up resignations from 2020 have likely taken place by now and rising vaccination rates may give more people the confidence to return to work. Some even say the Great Resignation is not evident in the data and it’s all just hyped up clickbait material.

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Klotz (the ‘prophet’ of the Great Resignation) predicted another phenomenon: boomeranging. Some firms report boomerang employees, who quit to seek a better lifestyle and were lured back by juicy hiring bonuses. But it’s likely the shift in our attitude to work is less like a boomerang and more like a one way flight. In 2020, 100people left the NY metro area for every 84 that moved in. The pandemic pushed people out of cities towards suburbs and small towns that offer more space and a more relaxed lifestyle. Moving house is a strong indication that you want your life to change in a permanent way. Lawyers, like the rest of the workforce, are saying a big ‘no thank you’ to the traditional workplace.

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Freedom, flexi and freelance, here we come.

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Amy Ye joined Lawtrades earlier this year to work on our people team. Hailing from New York City and currently residing in Houston, Amy brings HR experience from financial and recruitment industries. Let’s get to know her a little better!

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Can you share two interesting facts about yourself?

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I absolutely adore cats and want to have a garden…but am terrified of anything with more than 4 legs 🙀

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How do you like to spend your weekends?

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A perfect weekend would be sleeping in 💤 on Saturday, and then deep cleaning on Sunday.

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What is the most unconventional job you ever had?

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I’ve had quite standard jobs so far…but I do cat sit on the weekends which can be unconventional when the cats in question have special personalities!

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Why did you choose to join Lawtrades?

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Not knowing too much about the legal field, my mind was blown when Ashish told me Lawtrades was going to be like the Uber of legal, for attorneys to have the ability to do what they do best and have the ability to take care of things in life. I’ve always known that attorneys work long hours, so it was great to know that at Lawtrades, they aren’t so trapped in that traditional role we’re used to seeing them in.

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What are your primary responsibilities?

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I work closely with Jerry with overseeing Lawtrades’ People Operations functions.

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What are you most looking forward to in this position?

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I can’t wait to see Lawtrades grow, and I’ll be able to turn back and see all the contributions I’ve made.

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Where do you think you help the most in this position?

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I love answering everyone’s questions on Benefits, PTO and Payroll! The feedback really helps as we’re working to make improvements to all of the moving parts in our system.

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Well, November went by quickly! We wanted to give you an update on what’s happening at Lawtrades, from another practical workshop around commercial contracting to an in-person off-site!

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📅 November was a month of growth (and turkey!)

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Lawtraders logged 5,994 hours in November and close to 100 new talented users joined us. That means our network now includes over 1,300 top legal professionals from around the world, with new talent signing up from the Netherlands and Ireland. If you are looking for legal support in these countries, click below.

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Post a position!

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Our clients have been doing a lot of hiring! Here’s a quick peek at the types of roles hired for in November, with Attorneys being most prevalent but Contract Administrators and Legal Operators are on the rise compared to earlier in the year.

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We held an interactive panel discussion: It was all around Practical Commercial Contracting for In-House Teams. Kathy Zhu (Senior Director, AGC at DoorDash) moderated an informative discussion with Hylan Fenster (Director, AGC at Adobe), Hayley Gonzales (Managing Counsel, Affirm) and Ariana Goodell (Legal Director of Commercial, Branch).

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View replay!

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We also attended the Tech GC Global Summit in NYC. It was great to see so many of our clients in-person and we also took the opportunity to plan a team off-site, with Melissa, Josh and Rob flying in to participate!

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Follow us on LinkedIn!

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💭 What’s on the horizon

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We know we’ve been teasing this for a while, and we’re working hard on the final touches to our iOS app to let you manage your work with Lawtrades on the go.

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Make a product suggestion!

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Ever wondered how you could improve your negotiation strategies? Or what to do in a tense situation when the other side is unwilling to budge? ​Whether you are an experienced contracts counsel, or looking to get your foot in the door- we’ve got you.

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Our expert panel guided us through their contracting best practices and shared their experiences.

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Meet the Presenters:

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Moderator:

Kathy Zhu, Senior Director, AGC, Doordash

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Panelists:

Hylan Fenster, Director, AGC, Adobe

Hayley Gonzales, Managing Counsel, Affirm

Ariana Goodell, Legal Director of Commercial, Branch

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Key Takeaways:

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• Employ collaborative and open negotiating approaches\

• Work with the sales team early on and equip them with tools that will aid overall efficiency

• Learn the risks of your company, but also what the other party is trying to get out of it

• Everything is negotiable

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How do you get your foot in the door if you’re interested in switching to commercial transactions, but are not sure the best way to go about it?

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7:22-13:28

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Ariana, “Privacy is essentially a cornerstone skill set for any commercial counsel these days”

I had to proactively seek out opportunities to build up a skill set that would be transferable In-house.

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Hylan, “Be open, and follow your interests... or move away from something that doesn’t interest you”

Work on the skills needed to get the job. Keep up networking- it can open up opportunities to branch out in your career.

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Kathy, “Be the architect of your career”

If you know something doesn’t feel right- you don’t have to be stuck there forever.

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How do you typically engage with your counter-party when negotiating contracts?

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15:04-20:34

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Hayley, “I always recommend starting off on a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach”

Think about standard social approaches, you don’t want your counter-party to feel weary from the start. Try to always get something for everything that you give.

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Ariana, “My team employs interest-based negotiation”

Understand the power dynamics, and try to find the why behind the ask. Build up rapport with negotiating partners, as they’ll be more likely to compromise so you can come up with creative solutions.

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Are there any personal habits or practices to follow to make negotiations more effective?

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20:34-26:30

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Kathy, “The best commercial lawyers know what issues matter and which are immaterial”

Understand the risks particular to the business. Spend the time to embed and talk to business teams, and counterparts.

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Ariana, “Anticipate what the other party is going to argue back”

Think of several responses and plan the response to those, and keep going as long as you can. Deeply understand the risks associated with your company, but also understand what’s important for the other party.

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Hylan, “Switching when the other side switches first”

Going in openly is the most effective strategy, but sometimes you need to hammer the issue that’s the most important.

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When has the “Give-Get” tactic worked the most for you?

26:30-31:32

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Hayley, “Think about what is a must- have for the negotiation, moderate risk, and nice-to- have”

Be ready to trade the “nice- to- haves” in exchange for “must- haves”- it can move the needle in the critical part of the negotiation.

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Kathy, “Even in instances where you feel you have no leverage- they still need your product or services”

Understand what is in it for your counter-party, and what they are looking to get out of it. Build up a great rapport with your sales team so they can get legal and business terms through the door before you step in.

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How do you work effectively with sales teams?

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31:32-37:16

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Hayley, “When I started to bring the sales team along with me, they became the strongest ally for legal”

Educate your sales team, and form that partnership so they can identify pertinent issues in other deals.

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Ariana, “It’s not just the doing of the legal team”

Having a deal-desk function has helped form a relationship between sales and legal. They can be immediately helpful in situations that things aren’t in legal purview, and prioritize all of our deal work.

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Kathy, “It’s important to create additional leverage in your team”

Focus on the work that no one else can do- and outsource the other stuff. We’ve leveraged Lawtrades for overflow work so that my team can focus on the highest value sales deals.

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What efficiency aids and technology platforms do you leverage to create more bandwidth?

37:16-44:20

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Hylan, “We’ve empowered our sales-legal team to become product specialists”

It’s very hard to know a lot about all the products we have. We leverage those product resources and job aids to build and match up expertise.

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Hayley, “Collaboration and knowledge sharing is so important”

We’ve created annotations for the business. It’s a quick reference that anyone from the company can access. We share knowledge at team meetings, and keep on-going communication.

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Ariana, “It’s helpful to have that collateral immediately available”

We utilize Guru, a knowledge base software where you can create and memorialize institutional knowledge. It makes it so much more accessible to new team members coming in.

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What mistakes have you made?

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44:20-49:13

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Ariana, “Embrace failure as an opportunity to be better in the future”

Make sure someone on the ground within the company is driving the deals. Consider employing a legal primary that owns the deals from beginning to finish and who can make strategic calls for the business when necessary.

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Hylan, “Don’t fake it if you don’t have an answer”

Faking is both confusing and a bad path to take.

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Hayley, “Sometimes commercial is the last to know”

Try to get more entrenched in other parts of the business so you can be a strategic partner early on and be one of the first stops, rather than the last.

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What are some strategies to get customers to use your paper?

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49:13- 52:15

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Ariana, “Equip your sales team with talking points about why going with your paper is faster...but go beyond that”

Assess what your average deal size is. You shouldn’t be putting in above average work amount for any deal that is below average in terms of revenue .

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What do you look for when you are interviewing candidates for a role on your team?

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52:15-55:35

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Hylan, “I want to see who is going to be a fit for the team.. and who’s coachable”

Of course, you want to ask about privacy expertise and negotiation style- but make sure they are a good overall fit that can grow with the team.

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Hayley, “Someone who is capable of having a million fires thrown at them during negotiation is someone I would love to hire”

You need to find someone who is not going to take negotiations personally, someone who is proactive, and someone who can see the bigger picture.

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At Lawtrades, we have a diverse talent network from around the world. Check us out the next time you’re looking to hire flexible legal professionals.

Want to join our exclusive community of in-house leaders where you can network with like minded legal professionals and share best-practices? Apply here!

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