Another advantage of contract law assignments is that you have the flexibility to move. Suppose you want to leave a large city and move to a small town. Obviously the job availability will be scarcer unless you are contemplating setting up a private practice. If you are ready to settle for contract work, then you can hire out your services to the local law firms. This way you will stay active, and these firms can get a taste of your work. Even if full time work is not available with them when you are looking for it, your contributions would ensure that you are at the top of the list should a position become available. Legal recruitment is not very common in smaller places. Many of the firms in these areas have been long established. If it is a growing area then there may be better opportunities for the law firms to grow and be able to offer a job of a lawyer to someone like you who is basically freelancing.
Often contract lawyers get disillusioned with these positions because the work is fairly mundane and not that great paying either. Often the work just consists of document review. While this kind of work may be acceptable occasionally, a fully-fledged lawyer did not go through all those years of law school just to do this. Attorney's jobs, for the most part, are highly interesting and motivational.
One thing, though, that many new lawyers especially, should take note of is the direction in which their future is headed. More and more industries are opting for contract work, and the legal field is really not going to be exempted from this either. By contracting your services you are basically doing business. As a contract lawyer you are contracting to other firms rather than private clients. As regards law careers it is up to the individual what he really wants to do. What may work well for one individual may not be suitable for another.
In some cases, if you total out the hourly rate for contract work, it can turn out to be better than a regular paying position, perhaps a little above an entry level job at a full time law firm. Once again it comes down to your choice of legal careers.
- See The Challenges and risks involved in Moonlighting for more information.
Law opportunities in contract work are becoming so popular and, yes, sometimes so lucrative that there are agencies that act as employment placement services for contract lawyers. This means the contract lawyer doesn't have to worry about drumming up the next job. He/she can put in his/her name at the placement service and let them worry about finding the next contract. It cuts down the chances of not having any work.
Sometimes for contract work paralegal jobs are posted, but for the most part the services of contract lawyers are required.
There have been contracts that have lasted beyond two years, although many of them only run from six months to a year. That's not to say that you can't be awarded contract jobs back to back, where you finish one and start another one the following week. If you have enough firms that you work for, you can keep yourself working on a regular basis. Then, when you want to take some time off, you simply do not contract yourself out.
If you have ample work, then you could even become innovative and set up a contract firm with a few of your colleagues. Again, because outsourcing is becoming the way of the future, it may end up being a very viable business. Many new law firms like to take the advantage of contracting out their work, at least until they become established enough to be able to support full time employees.
If you are looking for contract work, check the job postings in the trade magazines and local newspapers. Ideally, you will want to check the Internet for postings from firms in your local area. You can take the initiative as well. Post your services, and you will be surprised at the calls you may get. Often firms are so busy they forget to consider contracting their work out. Your ad just may jog their memory.
See the following articles for more information:
- Should I Become a Contract Attorney?
- Should I Accept a Contract Attorney Position?
- Is Contract Work the New Normal for Litigators?
- Contract Attorneys Job Profile
- How to Become a Contract Attorney
- Does Contract Work Doom Your Career?
- To Temp or Not to Temp
- Will contract work hurt chances of landing a full-time job?
- What's Hot? Today's Legal Specialties
