The last 18 months have changed the way that we do business, and more people are appreciating the value of remote working. We've seen an exodus of talent leave their fixed positions and go out on their own. Whether you are a legal professional wanting to go out on your own, Or you want to scale your already existing business, weâve got you!
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We were lucky enough to have one of the biggest game-changers in the freelance legal industry, alongside our very own talent experts on our panel! They discussed how to build your legal brand and pave your way to success as a freelance legal professional.
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Meet the Presenters:
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Moderator:
- Melissa La Forest, Senior Account Management, Lawtrades
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Panelists:
- Josh Saneda, Growth Lead, Lawtrades
- Jordan Schwartz, Founder, Tech Law
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Key Takeaways:
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- Operate like an in-house counsel
- Open yourself up to different types of roles
- Decide the bandwidth you want to commit to
- Set a consistent track record with the client
- Establish boundaries early on
- Be nimble and ready to adapt to changing expectations
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Why go out on your own?
1:25-4:30
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- Jordan: âIt allows you to practice in a lot of areas and take advantage of all your talentsâ
- Experience with in-house counsel allows you to see the issues that small companies go through, and how hard it can be to find the right outside counsel
- Position yourself like an advanced counsel, operating at the external level provides a lot of cost-savings for the company
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How do you set goals? Â
4:30-6:30
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- Jordan: âIt was an opportunity to broaden the base of products I was working withâ
- Compensation is a major reason people are hesitant Â
- Decide what you need to make it a worthwhile endeavor
- Focus on getting early engagements to build your profile out
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What are the Obstacles?
6:30-11:44
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Josh: âFigure out which roles you want to chaseâ
- Compensation is a big question!
- Lawtrades pricing is on avg. $120-180 per hour Â
- How long will it take to find an engagement?
- Weâve had talent sign contracts in less than 48 hours!
- Decide and commit on the right time to leave your current opportunity
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Jordan: âBe open minded and see how the work evolvesâ
- Wasnât the right time to jump right into a full time engagement
- Enjoyed the flexibility and ability that Lawtrades offered
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How do you manage your time?
11:44-15:12
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Jordan: âBe cognizant about how much work youâre willing to put inâ
- Understand the turn around time you need to make deadlines
- Be realistic: are you looking for work life balance, or are you looking to have as many engagements as possible Â
- Understand the ebbs and flows of your clientâs business, such as when work may pick up and when it will slow
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How do you build out your profile?
15:12-22:07
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Josh: âDescribe what youâve accomplished, and make it worthwhile for the clientâ
- Highlight the diverse parts of your background
- Keep it concise! Clients can only see the top third of your profile
- Showcase any startup or small business related experience, technology assets, and highlight cool clients you have worked with
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Jordan: âKeep it as pithy as possibleâ
- Take the effort to flush out what your strengths are
- Take on engagements that meet your current strengths, then you can pivot onto ones that broaden your experience
- Build relationships with current engagements, be ready to broaden your scope as they may take you on for future engagements
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How does the interview process work? Â
22:07-28:08
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Jordan: âMake them comfortable with the remote-working relationship and being externalâ
- It may be a little less cumbersome than going through the process at a full time company
- Clients are generally looking to take someone on pretty quickly
- Be confident, personable, and be ready to provide support
- Be nimble and adaptable to the clientâs system and processes
Josh: âGet to know the team upfront upâ
- Donât be afraid to ask questions early on
- Get comfortable with 100% remote work
- Understand where and how communication will take place with the GC, and the rest of the legal team
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How do you set boundaries?
28:08-32:07
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Jordan: âEstablish that track record and credibility with the clientâ
- Be ready to provide estimates on time frames
- Set expectations and form boundaries early on
- Understand how much you need to be unavailable, and how flexible you can be during the day
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Any tips on setting up a virtual practice?
32:07- 36:38
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âJordan: âHire a good accountantâ
- Make sure to set up an accounting strategy- the taxing side can get tricky
- Donât be afraid to take a rate slightly lower to get yourself out there
- As you build up a steady base of clients, you can adjust the hourly rate and scale upwards Â
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At Lawtrades, weâre on your team to help things work. Â
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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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Or, if you are ready to sign up & apply for engagements...you can join our amazing talent network here.
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