FLEX LEGAL NETWORK
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Services
    • Our Fees
    • FAQs
  • Our Team
    • Join US
    • Our Management
    • General Litigation & Legal Research Lawyers
    • Corporate/Commercial & Business Lawyers
    • Wills & Estates Lawyers
    • Labour & Employment Lawyers
    • Family Lawyers
    • Criminal Lawyers
    • Immigration Lawyers
    • Freelance Paralegals
    • Freelance Law Clerks
  • Hire US
  • Resources
    • Blog
  • Contact Us

Blog.

Where you can read about lawyering, freelancing, and other legal news ​
Hire a Freelancer Today

How Much Should A Freelance Lawyer Charge?

7/13/2022

 
Are you thinking of hiring a freelance lawyer to assist with your overflow legal work? Not sure if the rate they have quoted is reasonable?
​

Here are three important considerations to keep in mind when reviewing a freelance lawyer’s hourly rate:
Freelance Lawyer  ≠  Full Time Associate
Picture
“$200/hr? But, if that person worked full time, their salary would be $416,000.00! I’m not paying that for a freelance lawyer.”

We’ve heard this comment a few times from lawyers inquiring about our freelance lawyer services. While it might be tempting to make a direct comparison between a freelance lawyer’s rate and a full time associate’s salary, this is really a false equivalence. It is like comparing apples and oranges. 

Remember, if you hired a full time associate for your law firm, you would also have to pay the following: employer portion of Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan, vacation pay, withholding taxes, law society fees, professional insurance (LawPro) fees, health benefits, legal association fees (e.g. Canadian Bar Association), CPD course fees, potential yearly bonuses, and costly overhead expenses including a computer, phone, software or other legal subscription fees, wifi, office space and furniture, an assistant, etc. Further, the firm would also be responsible for any potential severance or termination pay. 

When hiring a freelance lawyer, it is the freelance lawyer, not you, the hiring lawyer, who pays for all of the above additional costs and fees.

Freelance lawyers also provide law firms with valuable financial flexibility. As independent contractors they provide help only when needed and are paid only for the hours that they work. With a full time associate, their paycheque is due and payable every two weeks, even if the firm is having a slow month and the associate is not working or billing full-time hours.

If you do not need full time help you can avoid the responsibility of paying expensive overhead costs by engaging the use of freelance lawyers.

Hiring Freelance Lawyers = Clear Direct Profits

Generally, a freelance lawyer will charge a rate that is below market value or below the hiring lawyer’s rate. This way, the hiring lawyer can see a direct profit from the freelance lawyer’s work by marking up the freelancer’s hourly rate to the end client. 
For example, if a freelance lawyer is charging $200/hr and the hiring lawyer charges their work out to the end client at $275/hr, the firm is making a direct profit of $75/hr without the additional costs/expenses discussed above. For more information on marking-up your freelancers’ fees to clients, click here.

Freelance Lawyers’ Rates are Flexible, Full Time Associates’ Salaries are Not

When you hire an associate and agree to a set annual salary you are now committed to paying that amount. As freelance lawyers usually work on a per project basis, the hourly rate may be negotiated anew with each project.
​

For example, you may pay the freelance lawyer $200/hr for one project, but the next file that you need help with is a legal aid file or the client has a fixed budget. If the freelance lawyer enjoys the work or if there is a guarantee of a set volume of work, the freelance lawyer may agree to a lower price for that particular project. A full time associate will likely not agree to a cut in pay in the same situation.  

Final Thoughts…
​

The legal industry is changing and outsourcing legal work to a freelance lawyer is becoming increasingly common and even recommended. With this comes new possibilities but also new questions about how to use a freelance lawyer and, of course, how much to pay them. At Flex Legal, we understand that you need to stay profitable and you may also need additional help. Luckily, we can help with both! If you cannot afford to hire a full-time associate but have busy periods you cannot handle alone, then a freelancer lawyer might be the right decision for you. Get in touch for a free quote today.

Comments are closed.
    2022 Canadian Law Blog Awards Winner

    Categories

    All
    Blog Series: Starting Your Own Firm
    Book Reviews
    Case Comments
    Ethics Of Freelance Lawyering
    Flex In Print (News/Publications)
    Freelance Lawyering
    Law (General)
    Law Society
    Networking Events
    Personal Management & Wellbeing



    SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER & HAVE THESE ARTICLES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOU:
Flex Legal Network Inc.
We are freelance lawyers and paralegals helping lawyers with their overflow legal work. 

Contact

Email: info@flexlegalnetwork.com
Main Phone: 647.250.9292

Quick Links

Join Our Network
Hire a Freelancer
Meet Our Lawyers
Free Delegation Guide
Members Only Page

Help & Info

​Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism
​
Contact Us
​Frequently Asked Questions
Flex Legal acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
​With freelancers working and living coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people that call this land home.

Disclaimer: Flex Legal Network Inc. ("Flex Legal") is not a law firm and does not perform legal services.   The information provided in this website should not be construed as legal advice. Transmission of information from this website is not intended to create, and its receipt does not constitute a solicitor-client relationship with Flex Legal or any of its individual network lawyers or personnel. Use of Flex Legal services does not establish a solicitor-client relationship. If you use our website or services you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

​
(C) 2015-2023 Flex Legal Network Inc. All rights reserved. "Flex Legal Network", "Flex Legal", & "Flex" are all registered trademarks of Flex Legal Network Inc.
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Services
    • Our Fees
    • FAQs
  • Our Team
    • Join US
    • Our Management
    • General Litigation & Legal Research Lawyers
    • Corporate/Commercial & Business Lawyers
    • Wills & Estates Lawyers
    • Labour & Employment Lawyers
    • Family Lawyers
    • Criminal Lawyers
    • Immigration Lawyers
    • Freelance Paralegals
    • Freelance Law Clerks
  • Hire US
  • Resources
    • Blog
  • Contact Us