Lawyers wanting to branch out on their own, ditch billable hours, and explore niche specialities without the administrative headaches are able to do so under the umbrella of a well-established law firm.
Joseph Stephenson (left) and Adam Elbob
Under its new consultant solicitor model, EAS Legal has swapped out the traditional employee-employer relationship for one that has allowed experienced legal practitioners to strike out on their own while retaining the support of the firm’s administrative and finance teams.
Speaking to Lawyers Weekly, co-director Joseph Stephenson – who, along with co-director Adam Elbob, introduced the model – explained that consultant solicitors have the freedom to build their own brands, work with their own clients, and make their own decisions.
At the same time, the administrative burdens will be handled by EAS Legal, including accounts, marketing, insurance and paralegals.
“It’s really designed for more experienced solicitors who are wanting to build their own brand, build their own firm, but don’t necessarily want all the headaches that go along with it, because obviously when running a firm, there’s compliance, there’s trust accounting audits, there’s marketing and support staff needed,” Stephenson said.
“The consultant model that we run takes care of all of that.
“We operate the trust account, we have a full suite of admin, a compliance team, an accounts team, a marketing team, and all insurance, and the sort of stuff that a solicitor can slot into.”
With EAS Legal taking care of the back end, Stephenson said consultant solicitors can ditch billable hours.
“The pay packet of solicitors is on the higher end, but when you translate that to the hours that are worked, it’s actually very, very low. So what we find is the solicitors that come under this program essentially retain a majority of the bill,” Stephenson said.
Consultant solicitors will have access to each other’s expertise, with the possibility of “soft referrals” or the ability to ask another practitioner to step in and help if something urgent comes up. For clients, it means access to greater specialised knowledge and expertise.
While still in its early stages, the model has already attracted consultant solicitors from NSW, Queensland, and Victoria, which has also meant there is more work “flowing around between them”.
Stephenson said one of his prime objectives with the model was to create an environment that was supportive and healthy. No matter their area of specialisation or office location, it was important that both he and Elbob were available for all practitioners.
“I have come through firms that were just absolutely horrible; it was the culture that wasn’t great and the sort of firm where you’re waking up on Monday morning and dreading it,” Stephenson said.
“It’s the complete opposite here. I want everyone to feel supported. Everyone has got my personal number, doesn’t matter whether they’re new or I have known them [for] the last 10 years, they can call me.”
Consultant solicitors have been encouraged to work their own hours, with some having chosen to work on weekends or after-hours if it better suits their lifestyles. Others have felt free to leave partway through the day to run personal errands.
Stephenson explained that one solicitor returned from a few weeks overseas, which he chose to spend mostly working.
“Even though we have offices here in Victoria and NSW, if you want to go and sit on a beach with a cocktail for a few weeks, there’s nothing stopping you from doing that,” Stephenson said.
Asked about the kind of solicitors that the model is built for, Stephenson emphasised that it was all about having the “right mentality” and being a “real go-getter”.
“Do they want to be the sole practitioner that starts now and is in the same position in five years? Or do they want to continue growing and potentially add on staff? What does the individual person want?
“If they tick those boxes, we have all the resources available to assist them with that,” Stephenson said.
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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