how to work from home as a lawyer

by Idell O'Keefe 5 min read

How to Work From Home as an Attorney or Lawyer

  • Experience. Some attorneys find that working from home is the best solution for them after they have gained some expertise at a law firm or other traditional practice.
  • Finding Clients. If you're going to start a home-based office, you'll need a way to find clients. ...
  • Client Friendly Home. ...
  • Outside Meeting Space. ...
  • Software. ...
  • Boundaries. ...

Full Answer

Can lawyers really work from home?

Below are a few key resources to help make working from home as a lawyer easier for you and your law firm. Call our CARES Act Support Hotline at 1-888-484-2685 We’ve launched a CARES Act Support Hotline (1-888-484-2685) to help legal professionals better understand and apply for government support and financial aid.

How to work from home as an attorney or lawyer?

Non-legal work-from-home jobs. Finally, look beyond your legal experience! There are plenty of remote lawyer jobs where your past experience or hobbies and your legal know-how may intersect. Remote jobs in fields like project management, recruiting, content writing, and coaching could all be good options. ...

Can lawyers work from home some days?

A big hurdle to working from home as an attorney is establishing boundaries. If you answer e-mails at all hours of the day, your clients may come to …

How to contact an attorney for the first time?

There are many lawyer jobs from where you can work from the comfort of your home. All you need is a good internet connection and a laptop. Table of Contents Below are some of the work from home lawyer jobs: 01. Legal counsel 02. Legal Transcriptionist 03. Paralegal 04. Legal Proofreader 05. Legal researcher 06. Legal copywriter 07.

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Nov 13, 2020 · There are many opportunities to work-from-home as an attorney. You can go the traditional route and utilize your legal knowledge and skills from the comfort of your own home. Or, you can make the leap and become your own boss! No matter which path you choose, there are many rewarding work-from-home jobs for attorneys to embark upon.

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Do lawyers ever work from home?

Many innovative lawyers and law firms are already successfully working remotely. Whether they work from home or elsewhere, by choice or by necessity, permanently or temporarily, these firms are able to continue doing important legal work beyond the constraints of a traditional office.Mar 2, 2022

Can international lawyers work from home?

Can lawyers work from home? Yes, lawyers don't have to be tied to an office to do all of their text-based work, sending and receiving emails, documents, phone calls or teleconferences.Jul 5, 2019

What is the easiest job as a lawyer?

However, there are many sectors of law which are less stressful:Real estate law.Intellectual property law.High Street family law.Government lawyers.Working In-House.Jul 9, 2021

What does it mean to work in-house as a lawyer?

IN-HOUSE counsel are hired by a corporation's law department to handle a range of legal issues affecting the company, among them employment, policy, tax and regulatory matters. More prevalently, they play a managerial role, overseeing work that's been outsourced to attorneys at independent firms.

How do virtual law firms work?

For virtual law firms, having a lean operation means being able to try different fee structures, while providing the same high-quality service. - Client communication – One might assume that virtual lawyers no longer meet directly clients in person and only provide (limited scope) services through an online portal.

Can you work abroad as a lawyer?

You can work for U.S. multinational companies While work depends on the setting, American lawyers find work overseas working in the office of a U.S. law firm or as an attorney in a law firm abroad. American lawyers may also work for U.S. multinational companies as the local legal liaison overseas.Apr 29, 2021

What type of lawyer is the happiest?

The happiest attorneys, therefore, are those who experience a cultural fit. This means they work for firms where they are free to act independently, do work that matters to them and collaborate on teams with people who complement their personality and communication style.

What type of law is less stressful?

There are even more options for low-stress legal work. If you are looking for a way to practice law that also affords you a balanced lifestyle and flexibility in your schedule, consider engaging in estate planning, real estate law, or traffic law among others.Mar 24, 2021

What is the most stressful area of law?

A whopping 80% of lawyers surveyed cited workload as the number one source of their stress. Other causes mentioned included client demands, billing targets, lack of support, competition and partnership issues.Oct 13, 2016

What is difference between in house counsel and law firm?

An in-house counsel is at call with multiple teams and not just the legal. They have to troubleshoot the issues coming from different directions. This job requires multitasking in the literal sense. Similarly, law firms are not for the weak-hearted.Jul 26, 2018

What are the benefits of being a lawyer?

Benefits for LawyersMedical and dental plans.Short- and long-term disability plans.Health care reimbursement account through pre-tax deductions.401(k) retirement savings plan.Domestic partner benefits.Life insurance.Firm-paid business travel accident insurance.Firm-paid accidental death and dismemberment insurance.More items...

What exactly is a paralegal?

A paralegal is a professional in legal sciences that performs procedures autonomously or semi autonomously. They also work in support or assist professionals related to the legal area of a consultative or judicial litigation nature.

What to know when working remotely as an attorney?

When you’re working remotely as an attorney, it’s critical to show that you’re cognizant of current legal tech tools and that you know security best practices. This shows hiring managers that you won’t require extensive training to learn how to use the tech needed to work from home, which is a huge plus for any firm or organization.

What is the truth about working from home?

The truth is there are some adjustments you’ll need to make. When working from home full-time, your employers are putting more faith and accountability in you. Regardless of your job type, you’ll be expected to manage your time effectively whilst maintaining a high standard of work.

What is practicing law?

Practicing law is, at its core, like a master class in writing, risk assessment, and account management. These skills can be applied to many legal jobs, and even in a non-legal-role as well. And there are many roles that also offer you the flexibility to work from home. A quick look on job sites like Indeed shows plenty ...

How do I start my job search?

Job seekers often start by reaching out to their personal and professional networks. Make sure your connections know you’re looking for a work-from-home opportunity, and someone may just help connect you with your next great opportunity. Beyond that, your search will likely begin with online job ads.

What is a lawclerk?

LAWCLERK is an online platform that supports freelance for law professionals. Freelance lawyers can apply for flat-fee legal projects and be hired by attorneys. Clio’s LAWCLERK integration makes it easier and more efficient for Clio attorneys to work with freelance lawyers.

How to handle yourself under challenging circumstances?

Regardless of the reason why you (or your potential new employer) are working remotely, be in the moment, be flexible, and show that you can adapt to things like changing schedules throughout the process.

Do hiring managers look you up?

When you’re looking for full-time work, hiring managers will absolutely look you up. Before you start hunting for online jobs for attorneys, use these tips to make sure your LinkedIn profile is professional and up to date .

Experience

Some attorneys find that working from home is the best solution for them after they have gained some expertise at a law firm or other traditional practice. By working with other attorneys at first you can learn the ropes and develop some good habits that you can bring with you when starting at home.

Finding Clients

If you're going to start a home-based office, you'll need a way to find clients. How you do so will vary depending on the type of law you practice. Set up a website right away that details who you are and the type of law you practice. Attend networking events and set up business profiles on social networking sites.

Client Friendly Home

Make sure your home office is friendly before your clients show up. If possible, your office should be well separated from your personal living space. It should ideally have a separate entrance so clients don't have to walk through your living room, and it should be free from the noise of family members in adjoining rooms.

Outside Meeting Space

If you don't want to see clients in your home then you should have outside meeting spaces readily available. Sometimes you'll be able to meet your client at their home or place of business, and sometimes you'll even be able to meet at a coffee shop or restaurant.

Software

You'll want to invest in good software programs when you are working from home as an attorney. If you charge by billable hours you'll need a software program to make sure you keep track of your work accurately. You'll also need access to statutes and case law.

Boundaries

A big hurdle to working from home as an attorney is establishing boundaries. If you answer e-mails at all hours of the day, your clients may come to expect that they can get hold of you day or night. Scheduling your e-mails to only be sent during work hours can help with this.

Where do lawyers work?

Traditionally, most lawyers work in government offices, at law firms or nonprofit organizations and at their own office-type practices. However, the work-from-home environment is a real possibility as well as a growing trend for lawyers or attorneys.

What is required to work from home?

Working from home, though, requires a lawyer or attorney, or most any other professional, to be disciplined about work and productivity.

Who is Tony Guerra?

He also spent seven years as an airline operations manager. Guerra is a former realtor, real-estate salesperson, associate broker and real-estate education instructor. He holds a master's degree in management and a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies.

How does Lawyer Exchange work?

With Lawyer Exchange, lawyers can work on-demand by searching the freelance platform for projects. The platform is free to use, you negotiate your own rates, and once the project is complete, Lawyer Exchange adds a service fee to the company’s invoice, so you earn 100% of your negotiated rate.

What is a lawclerk?

LAWCLERK is an online freelance marketplace for lawyers. To get started, create an account, and browse current freelance projects, and apply for the ones you’re interested in. I couldn’t find much on how payments are made or what percentage LAWCLERK keeps, but they do have good Facebook ratings.

What is flexjobs?

FlexJobs is a paid subscription site for professional telecommuting, freelance, part-time, and flexible schedule jobs. All jobs are hand-screened for legitimacy, so you never have to worry about dealing with scam sites or opportunities. FlexJobs also makes it easy to search by occupation, location, career level, work schedule, ...

Where does Holly live?

Under Holly's guidance, The Work at Home Woman was named one of the best websites for your career by Forbes two years in a row. Holly lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and daughter and enjoys reading, traveling, and yoga. Reader Interactions.

Who is Montage Legal Group?

Launched by Laurie Gormican Rowen and Erin Clary Giglia in 2009, Montage Legal Group provides freelance legal services to law firms and legal departments. Attorneys decide how much to work and how much they charge and work as self-employed independent contractors. If you’re interested in joining their pool of freelance lawyers, send your resume to their team, and someone will contact you about the next steps.

Who is Lisa Smith?

Do you enjoy writing? Do you have a great story to tell? Then becoming a self-made author might be an unexpected work-from-home career for you! Lisa Smith is a former corporate lawyer, now a best-selling author who shifted her professional life when deciding to write her memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar, a book focused on her struggles with addiction while navigating a fast-moving legal career.

What is Robert Half?

Robert Half is a staffing agency dedicated to helping companies and job seekers with their employment needs. A couple of neat things about Robert Half is they offer benefits to some job candidates who are on a temporary assignment. They also provide 8,000+ free training courses to their job candidates.

What is an in house lawyer?

In-house lawyers are lawyers that are working for a specific organization in the corporate sector. They are offering legal support for a great range of industries starting from finance, retail, manufacturing, construction to media, communications and many more.

What is the difference between a lawyer and an attorney?

A slight distinction exists between these two terms even though in the United States that distinction isn’t made. A lawyer is a person that is educated in the law. In the United States, a lawyer is anyone that finished law school.

Can a lawyer work from home?

According to this lawyers can completely work from home using various technologies. It is preferable not to meet your clients in your home. If you don’t have a dedicated area for meeting clients, you don’t want to hold meetings in your garage or kitchen.

What is a solo practitioner?

Solo practitioners of law are tending to have more freedom and flexibility on the working hours the amount of time they work, and the place they work. Solo practitioners have the possibility of opening an office as part of their home, without having the need of renting out an expensive commercial space for an office.

Is it possible to be a freelancer?

Freelancing is possible in every field. Every type of job on this list can be done as a freelancer. There are more and more lawyers who are deciding on working as freelancers due to a wide range of online service for connecting lawyers and people who are seeking legal services. The benefits are well known, flexible working schedule, a better relationship with clients, the possibility to work remotely, the potential for higher income, and the possibility to work on various cases.

What is legal writing?

Legal Writers. Depending on the level of expertise, lawyers can offer different types of writing services as a way of increasing monthly income. Writers of briefs - Writing different documents, drafting briefs, motions, memos, and more for the needs of a law firm;

Do lawyers have offices?

The statement that “lawyers need to have offices” is changing. After all, lawyers don’t work only in the office, they are going to courthouses, client houses, jailhouses, different job sites, and their homes. Lawyers work at home as well so they can keep up with all of the work. According to this lawyers can completely work from home using various technologies.

1. Legal Assistant

A legal assistant supports a lawyer in their work. This can involve a practically unlimited number of tasks, including:

2. Legal Intake Specialist

An intake specialist handles the initial work given to a firm by a potential client. This work can vary from case to case, but it may include:

3. Paralegal

In a paralegal role, you’ll wear many hats. The primary function of the position is to work with attorneys to help win cases.

4. Legal Counsel (Lawyer)

The term legal counsel is used interchangeably with “lawyer.” This means you are the main workforce behind researching and presenting a case, as well as writing up opinions. In this role, you may:

5. Contract Specialist

In this work-from-home role, you work with business and industry clients to negotiate contracts between two parties. The goal is to make sure both sides agree on terms that work for them and ensure they are not breaking any regulations or laws while doing so. This job can involve:

6. Legal Transcriptionist

A legal transcriptionist creates written documents from audio recordings or legal briefs. This work from home role includes:

7. Legal Proofreader

Do you find yourself constantly catching typos in books or articles? If so, working as a legal proofreader may be the perfect work-from-home role for you.

What is a lawyer?

By definition, a lawyer is someone who has finished training in the field of law and passed the bar exams who provides advice on legal matters. As a lawyer working for a firm, you’ve probably worked from home, from a coffee house, or from everywhere else to juggle your workload. When you switch to work from home legal jobs, ...

What is an attorney at law?

2. Contractual Attorney or Trial Consultant. An attorney (or attorney-at-law) is a lawyer who is qualified and licensed to represent clients in court. Although it is used interchangeably with the term “lawyer” in the US, we’ll adhere to the definition of the term “attorney” to differentiate the tasks.

What are the best jobs to do from home?

14 Types of Work from Home Legal Jobs 1 Opinion Outpost - The #1 survey site that doesn't suck. Short surveys, high payouts, simply the best. 2 Survey Junkie - Test out new products and get paid to answer questions about them! Work with companies like Apple, Nike, and Amazon! 3 Inbox Dollars - Get paid to check your email. $5 bonus just for signing up! 4 Nielsen - Download their app and get paid $50!

What is a compliance officer?

Compliance refers to strict adherence to laws, policies, and regulations set by external entities, such as government agencies and independent organizations. Some of the industries that offer compliance jobs include the financial, healthcare, and telecommunications industries.

Why is legal research important?

Legal research is what helps attorneys tie evidence presented to past cases and existing laws.

What is a paralegal?

Paralegals provide support to attorneys whenever they are swamped with caseloads. As a virtual paralegal, you perform the same tasks, except that you correspond with attorneys and clients via e-mails, phone calls, video calls, and other similar ways.

What is virtual paralegal?

Virtual paralegals can handle various tasks, from drafting documents to filling forms, helping with research, and other tasks that are allowed within the bounds of their role. Since paralegals are not lawyers and have not passed the bar, their work often goes through a practicing lawyer.

What does an attorney do at MFL?

What does an Attorney do at MFL? * Perform consultations with potential clients and retain them ... Unlimited PTO, flexible hours, and work from anywhere. * Benefits: "better than tech" comprehensive ...

What is document review attorney?

... attorneys with document review experience, who desire an engaging work environment where you are ... Proficient in the use of modern technology, especially computers and related remote, work from home ...

What is QPWB's client?

The firm's strength flows from its experience in handling a broad range of complex business and ... QPWB's clients for professional liability include nursing homes, adult living facilities, hospitals ...

Is virtual law a career?

Being a work-from-home lawyer sounds like an ideal profession: the high pay of an attorney coupled with the comfort of your home. A career as a virtual attorney is indeed a possible career option; your job duties are the same as they would be if you worked from an office.

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Attorney Home Offices

  • Attorneys and lawyers have worked from home offices for years, though before the Web those offices were more traditional in character. Many a lawyer has walled off or separated a home-office practice from the rest of the house, in other words. Work-from-home legal work in the 21st century, though, can mean operating in an interactive virtual office and with other attorneys in m…
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Working from Home

  • Increasingly, government, in-house law firms and big business are seeking out legal pros willing to work from home. As an attorney, your most important decision about working from home will be whether to do so on your own or for a law firm or other organization. RocketLawyer.com's Matthew Hickey outlines several must-dos for work-from-home attorneys, including continuing t…
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Maintaining Home Offices

  • There are several issues that attorneys and lawyers working from home should keep in mind, including the need for attorney-client confidentiality. Attorney Bruce Caton, writing at Legal.com, observes that work-from-home attorneys need well-defined areas in their homes for offices. Attorneys and lawy...
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Costs and Salaries

  • Self-employed work-from-home attorneys could have higher costs than work-from-home attorneys employed by organizations that may cover some costs. However, Web tools that include computerized billing and productivity products such as virtual conferencing can reduce an attorney's home-office costs. In all cases, an attorney working from home should establish well-…
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