In the legal profession, there are many lawyers who practice outside of a “traditional” legal practice. There are three types of non-traditional lawyers that are often confused with each other: document review lawyers, contract lawyers, and freelance lawyers. In this blog post, we will outline why these titles are not interchangeable and outline the important differences between these three types of lawyers and their distinct services
Document Review Lawyers:
Document review lawyers are lawyers who specialize in reviewing large volumes of documents for a particular legal matter, such as litigation or an investigation. Their primary task is to review and analyze documents to identify relevant information that can be used in a legal case. Document review lawyers often work in teams and use specialized software to review documents quickly and efficiently. They typically have a strong attention to detail and excellent analytical skills. Document review lawyers are usually hired on a project basis, and their work is often temporary.
Contract Lawyers:
Contract lawyers are lawyers who are hired on a contractual basis by a law firm or legal department to perform specific legal tasks. They are typically hired to work full-time for a set period, such as several months or a year, and are paid a salary or an hourly rate. Contract lawyers typically work at the law firm or company’s offices and are integrated into their team.
Contract lawyers may be assigned to a specific practice area, such as litigation or corporate law, or they may work on various legal matters. They are often expected to work closely with other lawyers in the law firm or legal department and are subject to the same policies, procedures, and expectations as the full-time staff.
Freelance Lawyers:
Freelance lawyers, on the other hand, are independent contractors who work for themselves and provide assistance to other lawyers on a flexible and project-by-project basis. They work remotely and are not integrated into a law firm or legal department’s team. Freelance lawyers can specialize in any area of law, such as civil litigation, family law, corporate law, or employment law. They typically assist other lawyers on an as-needed basis and can perform any type of legal work that a “traditional” lawyer would do, including legal research, document drafting, opinion drafting, litigation strategy, and contract review. As independent contractors, freelance lawyers are responsible for managing their own workload and schedule. They may work with multiple lawyer clients at the same time, and they typically charge an hourly or project-based fee for their services.
Key Differences:
The primary differences between document review lawyers, contract lawyers, and freelance lawyers are their area of expertise, employment status, and work arrangement. Document review lawyers specialize only in the document review stage of the file and do not perform other legal tasks; contract lawyers are hired for a set period to perform specific legal tasks and are fully integrated into a law firm or company’s team; and freelance lawyers work independently and manage their own workload and schedule. The payment structure is also different, with document review and contract lawyers being paid a salary or hourly rate set by the law firm or company, while freelance lawyers decide upon and charge their own hourly or project-based fee.
Conclusion
Document review lawyers, contract lawyers, and freelance lawyers are all valuable legal professionals that provide different types of legal services to other legal professionals. While they may have some overlapping skills, each type of lawyer has a distinct way of practicing law.
By understanding the differences between these three types of lawyers, lawyers and law firms can better choose the appropriate legal professional to assist with their overflow legal work.
The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.
