Family Friendly Flexibility

Does flexible working really exist in the law? When firms talk about flexible working it will often come with strings attached. Perhaps you’ve heard lines like flexible working is possible so long as it meets the needs of the firm, or the needs of its clients. But what about your needs? And is flexible working really that flexible if it’s not on your terms?

At nexa law, flexible working isn’t governed by a policy, nor is it something you have to request. It’s a way of life! No one at nexa law says that you need to work 8 (or more!) hours a day or 5 days a week, or that you need to account for every hour of every day. Instead, your working life is yours to manage as you wish. We think that’s the ultimate in flexibility.

Many nexa law consultants have other interests outside the law, whether that be in business or their families. Lawyers join nexa because they’re looking for a way to balance the various demands on their time with a successful legal career. Working for a traditional law firm can be all-consuming. There is rarely time in the working week for much other than office life, and it can sometimes feel like you spend more time at work than you do at home! Sometimes that’s probably true!

When you join nexa law, you’ll have complete choice over when and where you work. Many of our consultants set up offices at home so that they can leave the commute behind. Others rent offices or take a desk in a shared work space – ideal if you prefer to work in the company of others. The great thing is that you get to choose the way of working which suits you best. Whether it’s in an office or at the kitchen table, or whether you’re up before sun rise, or thrive on working into the night; it’s entirely up to you.

When it comes to the demands of your clients, clearly you have to be responsive and available. But that doesn’t mean you have to be working all the time. It’s easy to forget sometimes that clients are people too! Of course they have important financial and business interests to protect and grow, and they need your help to do so. But they too also have families and hobbies and things in their life they need to fit around work. So you’ll often find that as a Consultant Lawyer you’ll end up working with people who share a similar outlook on the world and value your ability to be truly flexible.

Of course, with flexibility comes responsibility. Not a responsibility to nexa law, or even to your clients, but a responsibility to yourself. Some people aren’t cut out for life as a Consultant because they know deep down that they need a more structured environment in which to thrive. If you’re thinking about making the transition to a more flexible lifestyle, it’s worth asking yourself whether it’s definitely right for you. Why not arrange to speak to some of our existing Consultant Lawyers to find out how they’ve faced the challenge of a completely new way of working.

In the meantime, here are a couple of thoughts from our Consultants…

“I do not miss the commute and I use the time to do much more important things such as watch my boys play rugby.  I am always available to clients but I can set my own agenda and do substantive work when it suits me (usually at 5:00am) which also frees up time to do other things which I simply could not do before.”

“Being a consultant at nexa law has allowed me to get a real work life balance. There are no pressures put on consultants to achieve minimum billings or minimum working hours/days.”

If you’d like to have an initial discussion to learn more about life as a Consultant lawyer, or if you’ve like to have a chat with one of our Consultants, get in touch with Eliot Hibbert using eliot.hibbert@nexa.law.