“Just before going on leave, and in the immediate days upon returning from leave, try to keep a clear diary. Book in ‘light work’ or if you’re able, even keep the diary free, so you have time to sort through your full inbox,” she told Lawyers Weekly last month.

“Also, explore using consultants. We have been using consultant lawyers and support staff since our second year of operation. While our consultants regularly work with us, there are locum lawyers who can step in as a ‘one off’ to cover while on holidays or more extended periods of leave.”

Amanda Little & Associates director Amanda Little has also used locum lawyers in the past, which she said can not only allow owners to take time off but also add support in periods of growth.  

“From a small firm perspective, locums are invaluable as they allow respite to sole practitioners and directors, allowing them to take periods of leave without financial consequences for the firm and further maintain client base and satisfaction. In addition, it allows for periods of growth to be supported in a way that will not require small firm owners to financially leverage the firm to employ further full-time staff if the additional workload may cease into the future,” she outlined.  

“[Locums] provide solid and knowledgeable support for small practitioners allowing growth within a firm without financial risk and can assist a firm to expand its caseload and grow its team. I have always utilised locums and continue to see them as essential to all law firms, no matter the size.”

Services like these can be found in organisations like FinLaw: a legal locum business dedicated to assisting banks and financial services organisations.

Co-director Sarah Street said that using a locum firm can mean that boutiques can remain flexible for their clients, seek a “quality and depth of experience”, and work to short-term budgets without having to hire full-time employees.

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“We are specialists in banking locums with available, quality-referenced, experienced, hard-to-find banking and financial services locums ready to step into the void at short notice to fill expected gaps for new projects and busy practice areas and unexpected gaps for maternity/sick leave/resignations,” she explained.

“For smaller firms on tight budgets, they need only have the locum for the exact period needed; these are short-term contract employees, so long-term budget is not required where small firms are always conscious of containing costs on balance sheet, as the locums work just for the designated short-term period. They are often flexible to be extended as needed, which happens frequently, and occasionally accept a permanent role if sought by the employer.”

However, firms can also enlist the help of independent locum solicitors, too.

Benedict V Peter is a solicitor — and has been doing locum work since 2014 for law firms after working in civil litigation for three decades. This decision came after he migrated to Australia from Singapore, which Mr Peter said drove him to seek out different firms and experiences here.

“The different firms that I have assisted have different areas of work. Up to the end of last year, I was helping a firm that was substantially doing estates litigation,” he told Lawyers Weekly.

“In May 2022, I assisted a firm in a High Court appeal. I had assisted the firm in that matter before action was started in Victoria several years ago and at the Victorian Court of Appeal. When the opposing party appealed to the High Court, I was asked to help again. I was formally the instructing solicitor sitting behind counsel at the appeal hearing.

“The firms who ask me to help can tap into my long, extensive experience in litigation. They use me as and when required. There are no fixed overheads with the services I perform.”

Mr Peter either works from home or at law firm offices and will occasionally appear in court for firms to help with applications and hearings in last-minute instances.

“Although I have assisted larger law firms, most of the firms I assist are small firms that do not want to take on too many lawyers so as to keep down their overheads. These firms usually have generalist lawyers who have experience doing a very wide area of legal practice but, as happens frequently, have a distaste for litigation. Therefore, they frequently contact me to assist with the litigation angle while they work with me on the underlying legal area.

“I have assisted firms for varying lengths of time. Frequently, I’m asked to help on one task or for one day. Firms have also asked me to come in for several weeks on a daily basis or for several days a week. I have also assisted firms full-time for several months when they have many matters running and their lawyers are away,” he added. 

“I have assisted larger firms of over 50 people, as well as small firms of less than five people. It is difficult to draw a general profile of the firms that use my services, except to say that these are firms [that] might have particular needs at particular times, and they do not want to go through the time and expense of hiring full-time employees.”

For smaller firms thinking of using a locum firm for supplementary support, Ms Little added that it was of the utmost importance to find a locum who practises “the way you do” — which means more benefits.

“The first essential step is to engage a locum who practises the way you do, find someone with the same ethos and delivery of client experience that you offer. You want to transfer to be seamless and for the clients to maintain connection with the firm and feel supported even though you are on leave. Ensuring consistency across practice areas, level of skill and customer service ethos is essential to this process,” she added.

“In addition, thorough file notes should be prepared for each matter, including next steps, key dates, as well as client observations. Advise the locum as to how this client likes to receive communications, what they respond well to and what to avoid. This will ensure that when you return, your files will be in order, and you will have happy clients!

“Boutique law firms can benefit from the use of locums for not just for leave relief, but it also provides them with access to experienced practitioners for temporary heavy caseload support, specific projects, and to grow an additional caseload until such time as there is sufficient billables for a further practitioner to be added to the team. Locums can be integral to the continuing growth of a practice in many ways.”