The SRA’s New Rules for Freelancers: Better Work-Life Balance?

Being able to work from a different office or leave work in time for a bedtime story then get back on the laptop doesn’t work for everyone, however. And according to Helen Goldberg, COO at LegalEdge, long hours are still a pre-requisite for many climbing the career ladder in private practice.

Some in-house teams are doing the same with part time working and job shares. But many in-house lawyers are still struggling with long hours in the office and long commutes. Even though going in-house has historically been seen as a good move for those wanting (or needing) more reasonable working hours than those of the law firms.

Many in-house lawyers are still struggling with long hours in the office and long commutes.

So, we welcome the new SRA rules for freelance lawyers. Because it gives senior lawyers, from both private practice and in-house, a different and more flexible way of working. And the growth and increased influence of new law models and legal service providers is helping. Models like ours at LegalEdge, as well as Obelisk, LOD, Lexcoo, F-Lex, Halebury, Peerpoint, Vario and Agile. At last the SRA has listened and taken action.

There are pros and cons of working as a freelancer. And the gig economy doesn’t have the best reputation for those at the lower end of the pay scale like carers and delivery drivers. But for higher earning professionals like lawyers it can provide an opportunity to work in an independent and flexible way whilst earning well and staying on the career ladder. Adjusting to remote working, particularly for those who’ve always had a job with a regular salary and a fixed office location can take getting used to and isn’t for everyone, but it is a great way for senior lawyers to achieve a better work-life balance.

We’ve been doing this for over 10 years now, and everyone works flexibly, not just the lawyers. We work the hours that suit us and in a way that fits with other things in our lives whilst doing interesting and challenging work with interesting people (on the whole!). The companies we work with – mainly tech, media and F&B SMEs – are often already set up for flexible working too, which is why they like and want to work with us, and vice versa.

It’s not all about being part-time or working around school hours either. It works well for those that want to work full-time but with different working parameters. Working hours that fit around other responsibilities, requirements and hobbies. This way of working supports people taking on new challenges as well as those multi-tasking around different work and opportunities. We have people who are running their own businesses, studying, traveling, coaching/ mentoring, writing, participating in hobbies, and more.

We don’t need to be in an office all the time either anymore. Technology platforms and flexible working spaces enable people to work from almost anywhere. It’s no coincidence that fewer people are using the tube these days. Flexible working, technology and changing habits are influencing this. And for senior lawyers, being able to work from home, a client’s office or a coffee shop, in the UK or abroad, gives responsibility, ownership and the ability to work on their own terms and around other commitments.

What it does need, though, is a culture that embraces flexibility, diversity and equality. Where people aren’t nervous or embarrassed to ask about working in a way that works for them.   Empowering people to be in control of how much time they want to spend working and a model that treats and pays them fairly. The rewards for this are huge. From retaining talent to attracting highly skilled people, encouraging a culture that recognises and embraces individual’s needs and requirements makes people more productive, energised and most importantly, satisfied. Which can be a bit of a rarity in the legal world…