Variety of work, rather than better work-life balance, is the chief reason lawyers take up freelance roles, according to a new survey.
Pinsent Masons’ contract lawyering service Vario surveyed its members and found that the variety of legal work potentially available to them beat work-life balance into second place when it came to lawyers’ motivation to take up freelance work, with 45 per cent citing it as a reason.
The third-most important factor was the potential to build new relationships and network, followed by the chance to learn new skills, then the ability to avoid office politics.
The majority of freelancers – 84 per cent – said they saw it as a long-term career path rather than a stop-gap.
Contract lawyering has grown in popularity in recent years. In addition to Pinsent Masons, firms including Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Allen & Overy and Shoosmiths have all set up their own services.
In February, BLP’s offering, Lawyers On Demand, combined with fellow agile working provider AdventBalance to give the firm a major base in Australia and Asia.
