Hi! I’m Ella Fischer-Slack. In today’s blog post, I’ll take you behind the scenes of a typical day in my life as an Operations Manager of a freelance lawyer company. We will dive into my core responsibilities and offer a behind-the-scenes look at how I foster smooth and efficient legal operations.
As the Operations Manager at Flex Legal, two days rarely look the same for me. They are a whirlwind of communications with lawyer clients and our freelance lawyers. Everything needs to run like a well-oiled machine. As the “go-to” person for our freelancers and the lawyers who hire them, my main goal is to optimize our processes, drive efficiency, and ensure the seamless delivery of high-quality freelance legal services.
My Responsibilities
At the heart of Flex Legal’s core values is a commitment to high quality in all areas of the business.
This includes excellent freelance assistance, legal work, and client service standards.
Another key part of my role as Operations Manager is to assist our CEO and Founder, Erin Cowling. This includes reviewing the applications of lawyers looking to join the platform as a freelancer. I help with interviewing, completing reference checks, and facilitate the one-on-one onboarding calls with new freelance lawyers. With only an 8% acceptance rate, we don’t allow just anyone to join our team.
In addition, I oversee our team’s software platforms including:
- our social media channels
- website,
- CRM system (we use Hubspot),
- email, and
- calendar.
Nothing can slip through the cracks. We communicate, coordinate, and stay organized using Google Workspace.
Working remotely can present unique challenges. If you’re looking for helpful tips for navigating work-life balance as part of a remote team, I encourage you to read our blog post: “5 Stress Relief Practices for Lawyers Working Remotely”.
Flex Legal prioritizes continuous professional development and life-long learning. Because of this, I conduct ongoing research to stay on top of emerging legal industry trends and I :
- keep an eye on various social media pages, legal forums, websites, blogs, and competitors,
- attend virtual conferences,
- take part in online courses, and
- learn from the experiences of our clients, freelancers, and team.
My Daily Routine
Morning:
The day typically starts early for me, with a non-negotiable cup of coffee in hand as I dive into my inbox. From there, I go over my task list for the day (which I aim to map out the day before to ensure clear objectives) and get started with working on the most pressing to-do’s.
Today, as I logged in, I found a “Hire Us” form and two “Join Us” forms waiting for my attention:
- The “Hire Us” was from a solo lawyer seeking help with a factum for an appeal to the British Columbia Court of Appeal regarding a personal injury matter. I picked up the phone and listened to this lawyer describe his busy practice, and his recent surge in work. He needed to delegate the drafting of a factum to relieve the pressure on his time. Immediately after our call, I reached out to our freelancers with experience in this area.
- I then reviewed the “Join Us” forms in order to be prepared to discuss them and give my recommendations to Erin at our Team Meeting. One applicant had 7 years of experience at a top Bay Street firm, wrote an eloquent application, and followed instructions. The other had several typos and a resume attached in the wrong format.
Team Check-In Meeting:
One of the highlights of my days “at the office” is our Team Meetings over Zoom at 9:30am. This is where our small, but mighty remote team gathers to discuss priorities on our list, address any challenges or bottlenecks, and ensure we’re aligned with our goals and objectives.
At today’s meeting, I discussed the applications from potential freelancers with Erin. I recommended we move forward with the applicant who had an impressive background at a top Bay Street firm. I also pointed out the other applicant failed to meet our application standards. We decided to move forward with the former, emphasizing our commitment to excellence.
Mid-Morning:
Around 10 am, my dog, Rufus, started to get restless, so I took him for a walk in the local park. It’s important for me to maintain a work-life balance. This means taking regular breaks throughout the day to recharge my batteries in order to stay energized and focused.
After getting some fresh air, I returned to my desk and saw an email that came in from a freelancer. A lawyer they were matched with had “ghosted” them. I promptly got back to them and suggested they follow up with the lawyer, to ensure their email hadn’t simply been lost in their inbox. I also offered to send the client a quick reminder as well if they did not hear back. It is important for me to tackle any problems head-on and quickly, whether the issue arises with a hiring lawyer, a freelancer, a service provider, or within our own team.
I make it a priority to engage with our law firm clients and freelance lawyers, whether it’s through phone calls, emails, or face-to-face Zoom calls to maintain and build strong relationships, resolve miscommunication, and ensure our freelancers feel supported. Typically, once the intention of the action or communication at issue is clarified, the problem is solved, and the parties continue to work together in a meaningful way.
For tips on how to overcome trust barriers and improve your communication skills, check out this blog post: Successful Legal Outsourcing: Overcoming Trust Barriers.
Afternoon:
Between 1 pm and 2 pm, I always set aside time to shift gears to strategic planning. Today, I reviewed our current matching process and identified areas for improvement. I realized an email I was always sending could be shortened and automated, saving us valuable time. Additionally, I revised our “Hire Us” form and made amendments to clarify a question that hiring lawyers often find confusing. I also took time to analyze our current data and prepare my notes for our weekly strategic “Wednesday Morning Meeting” to stay on top of our numbers for the quarter and inform our decision-making process.
As the afternoon progressed, I received responses from three freelancers interested in the project that came in overnight. We use Hubspot as our client relationship management tool, so I made relevant updates to the corresponding deal and sent the freelancer’s information to the client. Keeping track of all of our projects and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks involves seamless coordination and effective communication.
Soon after, I had a lawyer reach out telling me they knew they were going to have a very busy month ahead, however, they weren’t sure exactly what work was suitable to try out freelance assistance and delegate. One of my favorite resources Flex Legal offers is the Delegation Guide. I shared this free resource with them offering helpful tools on how to grow their law practice without working 24/7, and how to delegate the right work to the right people in the right way. To download your copy today, click here.
I then noticed a potential freelance lawyer sent in their writing sample and references for review. As a lawyer, it is Erin who reviews the writing samples and I call the references. Erin let me know that the writing sample was not up to her standards so we decided to not move forward with this applicant. I let them know that while we appreciate their interest in joining our team, at Flex Legal, we strongly value our commitment to excellence outlined in our “Flex Factors” and strive to add freelancers to our roster who demonstrate this in all areas of their work. Part of our commitment to excellence is being able to provide written documents to our lawyer clients that are polished and final products with little need for editing or re-drafting.
Also, after having spoken with their references, I had some concerns arise regarding their level of experience with drafting. We believe this lack of experience could potentially negatively impact the quality of work delivered to our clients. I encouraged them to continue building upon their drafting experience and perhaps consider applying again in the future.
Wrapping-Up:
As the day comes to a close, and I reflect on all that has happened, I always try to take a moment to celebrate our wins, big or small. Whether this was matching one of our freelancers with their dream project, assisting a client to find and get the help they’ve been looking for, writing a blog post like this one, or simply overcoming a challenging obstacle, each victory brings the company one step closer to achieving its long-term goals.
Looking ahead to the next day, I make note of any meetings, interviews, or pressing deadlines, and write out my to-do list for the next morning. With a sense of pride and accomplishment, I bid farewell to my team, sign-off for the evening, and turn to my self-care practices, whether this be heading to the gym or watching a new unsolved crime docu-series on Netflix.
Overall, a day in the life as Operations Manager at Flex Legal is extremely rewarding, purposeful, and always brings new and interesting challenges. My role is multifaceted and requires a unique blend of leadership, problem-solving, and strategic thinking. By focusing on client and freelancer satisfaction, continuous improvement, and maintaining high standards, we ensure smooth legal operations while building lasting relationships. From setting a productive tone in the morning to celebrating wins at the end of the day, there is always an opportunity to make a positive impact and drive the business forward. If you or a lawyer you know is looking to balance their legal practice with flexible freelance solutions, fill out our Hire Us form today.
Thank you for joining me on my day behind the scenes of legal operations!
