Question from Duty Solicitor:
We have spoken and corresponded a number of times over the last 8 yrs or so and I wonder if you are able to help at this juncture of my career. I am interested in freelancing which would mean my duty slots to a large firm. In London I am informed a £1200 retainer is available plus an average of £50k pa working hard one week a month - sounds like a no brainer!
The agency in London I have spoken to who are recruiting on behalf of 3 major London firms certainly talk the talk - but I am suspicious of how much rota work I would get given the volume of freelancers and employed solicitors on the rotas.
I want some security of earnings before I commit myself.
Answer from Jonathan Fagan, MD Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment
Hello. If it assists, let me tell you about 2 candidates we placed last year in London as freelancers (both central London) - one with a 1 partner firm, the other with a 20 solicitor practice.
The freelancer with the 1 partner firm earned about £25k for the year - this included doing prep work for the firm as well as his slots.
The second one is with a 20 solicitor practice and looks as if he may posssibly get up to around £20k.
There are a number of freelancers this year looking for salaried roles. I have a duty in London who has just accepted a salaried role of £27k.
I suspect that the agency is the one who appear to have made themselves duty solicitor experts this year and advertised heavily in the Law Society Gazette - presumably because so many other lines of legal recruitment work have collapsed in recent times......
That said, I have heard of freelancers in the past who have earnt good money.
Similarly I have also been involved when a very large crime outfit changed their terms and conditions and jettisoned entire duty solicitor teams who were earning too much money.
Think carefully before jumping - the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence....
Jonathan
Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment - Online Legal Recruitment for Solicitors, Legal Executives, Fee Earners, Support Staff, Managers and Paralegals. Visit our Website to search or download our Vacancy Database or view our Candidate Database online.
We have spoken and corresponded a number of times over the last 8 yrs or so and I wonder if you are able to help at this juncture of my career. I am interested in freelancing which would mean my duty slots to a large firm. In London I am informed a £1200 retainer is available plus an average of £50k pa working hard one week a month - sounds like a no brainer!
The agency in London I have spoken to who are recruiting on behalf of 3 major London firms certainly talk the talk - but I am suspicious of how much rota work I would get given the volume of freelancers and employed solicitors on the rotas.
I want some security of earnings before I commit myself.
Answer from Jonathan Fagan, MD Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment
Hello. If it assists, let me tell you about 2 candidates we placed last year in London as freelancers (both central London) - one with a 1 partner firm, the other with a 20 solicitor practice.
The freelancer with the 1 partner firm earned about £25k for the year - this included doing prep work for the firm as well as his slots.
The second one is with a 20 solicitor practice and looks as if he may posssibly get up to around £20k.
There are a number of freelancers this year looking for salaried roles. I have a duty in London who has just accepted a salaried role of £27k.
I suspect that the agency is the one who appear to have made themselves duty solicitor experts this year and advertised heavily in the Law Society Gazette - presumably because so many other lines of legal recruitment work have collapsed in recent times......
That said, I have heard of freelancers in the past who have earnt good money.
Similarly I have also been involved when a very large crime outfit changed their terms and conditions and jettisoned entire duty solicitor teams who were earning too much money.
Think carefully before jumping - the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence....
Jonathan
Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment - Online Legal Recruitment for Solicitors, Legal Executives, Fee Earners, Support Staff, Managers and Paralegals. Visit our Website to search or download our Vacancy Database or view our Candidate Database online.
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