The ever-changing landscape of legal consultancy
Whilst the current global pandemic has accelerated the trend, it would be wrong to think the desire for a more flexible approach to working is all to do with social distancing.
As far back as 1998, the Harvard Business Review published a study into the ‘alternative workplace’, citing employees desire to have a greater degree of control over when, where and how they work. With over half the UK workforce now working from home, it seems flexible working is here to stay, and the legal world is no different.
Investment bank Arden believes that as much as a third of all UK lawyers will be under a legal consultant banner in the next five years and that the consultant model will be the most dominant across high street and mid-market law firms. With its cost-effective recruitment model and the flexibility it offers compared to a traditional firm, it is easy to see why this growth is inevitable.
Almost all Acuity consultants now work remotely with a growing range of tools and resources available to help them do so, a situation even we didn’t imagine when we first launched in 2012. Our recruitment process is now done remotely, meaning there are no geographical barriers to joining our award-winning Practice.
Whilst the way in which we work might have changed, Acuity Consult’s core remains the same. Central to our way of doing things has always been about building a community of consultants and our model is focused on giving people the freedom to shape their own work/life balance, whilst enabling them to tap into the power of being part of a national commercial law firm.
The Acuity Consult model not only enables legal professionals to enjoy the benefits of being self-employed, such as managing your own time and taking a bigger cut of your fees, but also gives them access to all the great things being part of a larger firm can offer. The frustrations of not having junior legal and administrative support as your practice grows and having the firm’s offices to meet your clients is not a compromise an Acuity Consult Partner needs to make. We have also worked towards making a model that is not only competitive with fee splits but offers the premium back-office support of a national law firm whenever you need it.
As many aspects of life return to a greater degree of normality, the rise of flexible working is certainly here to stay. The development and growth of the Legal Consultant model will be exciting to watch and one thing you can guarantee is that Acuity Consult will be playing a key role in driving this change.
If you would like to join our award-winning, rapidly expanding community of Legal Consultants, please contact our Chief People Officer, Adele Carter.