What is a consultant solicitor?

The term ‘consultant solicitor’ or ‘consultant lawyer’ has become increasingly commonly used in recent years. But what exactly is a consultant solicitor, what makes them different from a normal solicitor and how do you go about becoming one? This article explains.

Law firms – the traditional model

For centuries, the traditional career path for anyone graduating in law was to start work as a junior employee within a local or national firm and spend the next few years of your life working every hour possible to prove that you were ready for the transition from trainee to fully fledged solicitor. With a good track record in your area of speciality over those first few years, you could hope to progress to a more senior position and eventually, often based on tenure and hours billed, you might be lucky enough to become a partner – the ultimate goal for many old school solicitors. Although generously paid, the role of partner often entailed just as many hours if not more than when you were a junior, and you could expect to spend long hours in the office for the good of the firm.

New rules, new possibilities

Today times have changed and people have begun to place much more value on their time and freedom than purely on status and salary, many sectors have transformed to allow people to work more flexibly and independently. Despite this, the legal sector has been much slower to adapt, mainly due to the constraints of outdated legislation. In 2007, however, the long awaited introduction of the Legal Services Act finally allowed non-lawyers to invest in and own legal firms, opening the door to the possibility of a new business model to be introduced to the sector.

Consultant solicitors – a new approach to practice

Despite the change in laws, many traditional law firms were reluctant to change their modus operandi. However, the more enterprising solicitors had seen the opportunity to break away from the classic stereotype and begin working on their own terms. This led to the birth of a new model where solicitors could practice on a self-employed basis, servicing clients through a legal services provider whilst having the freedom and flexibility to work on their own terms, setting their own hours and choosing their salary expectations to fit their lifestyle demands and personal preferences. Finally, lawyers had been liberated.

The result was the rise of the consultant solicitor, a solicitor who provides services on a self-employed basis or as a contractor through their own personal service company.

What’s different about nexa law?

From the outset, nexa law was intended to be a step away from the conventional ‘new model’ law firms operating in the market by ensuring that fixed overheads would be minimised in order to pass as much of the earnings back to the consultant lawyer. As a result, we believe we are best-in-class regarding our consultant commission rates.

With a focus on providing the highest quality of service to both the consultant solicitor and their clients, nexa law aims to be the partner of choice for those lawyers wishing to make the move towards a more flexible and lucrative future, whilst benefiting from being associated with a highly recognised and credible law brand that is backed by experienced investors.

How do I become part nexa law?

Here at nexa law, we offer an unrivalled opportunity for the right individuals to become a consultant solicitor. If you are an enterprising individual with at least eight years’ post qualification experience, we’d love to hear from you. Ready to make a change? click here to request our brochure now.