​A freelance lawyer assists other lawyers, law firms, and in-house legal departments on an hourly, project, or part-time basis. They act as independent contractors and in an “on-demand” capacity. Freelance lawyers work with other lawyers as an alternative to taking on “end-clients” (non-lawyer clients) directly.

​While each freelance lawyer has their own reasons for choosing this career path, all of our lawyers appreciate the flexibility that freelance lawyering provides, while still being able to engage in challenging and interesting legal work. 

Our freelance lawyers are all pre-screened, highly qualified, and experienced (5-10+ years) lawyers who are insured and licensed to practice law in Canada. Flex Legal is not a large corporation with a database of unemployed lawyers between jobs. Instead of accepting every application to simply boost our numbers, Flex Legal onboards only the most qualified freelance lawyers who are dedicated to freelancing as an alternative way to practice law. 

Flex Legal’s freelance lawyers are a resource for lawyers, law firms and legal departments who are looking for flexible assistance for their legal work. Our freelance lawyers provide a hassle-free, cost-effective solution to cover overflow legal work or provide lawyer assistance with a particular skill set, but only when needed, and with no overhead costs. Outsourcing to a Flex Legal lawyer also allows our clients to temporarily expand their practice when there is a surge of work and contract their practice when the work is done. Our freelance lawyers assist on an hourly, part-time, or project basis.
​As our lawyers have diverse legal experiences and backgrounds, they can assist in a variety of ways, from contract review and due diligence, to legal research and court attendance. A list of our services and the work you can outsource can be found here. Not sure if you can outsource something to us? Reach out and we will let you know.

No, Flex Legal Network is not a law firm. Flex Legal is a freelance lawyer platform (but was founded and is run by a lawyer, so she gets it!) Flex Legal helps lawyers, law firms and in-house legal departments outsource their overflow legal work to a network of freelance lawyers who are independent practitioners.

​Flex Legal’s lawyer and law firm clients enjoy the benefits of the network as a ‘one-stop’ shop to find freelance lawyers to meet their business needs. Our Flex Legal lawyers are independent and do not constitute a law firm among themselves.

In general, Flex Legal has a highly competitive application process. We require our freelance lawyers to be at a minimum 5-10 years post call and have experience at a reputable law firm and/or as in-house counsel. All Flex Legal lawyers must be called to the bar in at least one Canadian province and must be insured to practice law.

Our selection process involves the following steps which all freelancers must pass before being onboarded to the network:

1. Online Application: Freelance Lawyers must submit a compelling application including an up-to-date CV and a persuasive reason why they believe they would be a great Flex Legal freelancer. 

2. In-Depth Interview: This interview takes place over Zoom with at least two members of our management team, including Flex Legal’s founder, Erin Cowling, to ensure that the freelance lawyer has the requisite experience, but as importantly, that they are a fit in personality and align with our Flex Legal values and client expectations.

3. Reference Checks: Flex Legal requires two references and conducts comprehensive reference check calls.

4. Writing Sample: The applicant must provide at least one writing sample to be reviewed and approved by Flex Legal’s management team.

5. Second Call: Once the applicant passes previous steps they will be asked to participate in a second Zoom call where further skills will be probed and onboarding training will take place. 

6. Code of Conduct, Review of Feedback & Monitoring: All successful applicants will sign Membership Terms and agree to our Code of Conduct. Flex Legal continually monitors and assesses the performance of all freelancers and collects and reviews client feedback. Should a freelance lawyer fail to meet Flex Legal’s expected level of excellent service, they will be removed from the platform.

Our lawyers work remotely across Canada. While many of our lawyers are located in Ontario, we also have lawyers who have been called to the bar in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, & British Columbia.

Flex Legal freelance lawyers are engaged directly with the sole practitioner, law firm, or in-house legal department as independent contractors in their individual capacity. In other words, you do not retain Flex Legal. Flex Legal is a freelance platform that markets, networks, and provides business development services for our freelancers. For more information see our Terms & Conditions.

Flex Legal freelance lawyers set their own rates to provide flexibility for both the freelancer and the hiring lawyer. Importantly, these fees can be passed on to your client as is, or you can incorporate a reasonable mark-up. Rates will depend on the nature and the scope of the work requested. However, Flex lawyers competitively price their services below market rates so you can protect your margins. Our Flex Legal lawyers have reasonable hourly rates (from $125 – $300+/hr,  depending on their level of experience) or offer flat fees for certain services. 

There are several options on how to recoup and even mark-up a freelance lawyer’s fees when billing them out to your client. For the short answer see our blog post “The Ethics of Freelance Lawyering: Marking-up Fees”. For the long answer (with research & analysis) please see our “How To Guide: Billing Out & Marking-Up Flex Freelance Lawyers’ Fees to Clients”

Yes! The client and the file remains with you as the supervising lawyer and solicitor of record.

Yes. All Flex Legal lawyers must be licensed and insured in at least one Canadian province before they can join our platform.

Generally, yes. If you will be sharing your client’s confidential information you will need their consent. However, if you are asking a freelance lawyer to conduct generic legal research without sharing any identifying or confidential information, then likely not.  Either way, this is a great opportunity to explain to your client the benefits and cost-savings when engaging a freelance lawyer. Hiring a freelance lawyer will let you outsource some of their legal work and free up your time to focus on the important aspects of your client’s file that require your attention. 

Clients appreciate that hiring a freelance lawyer helps you effectively and efficiently handle their case. We have sample wording for your retainer and a sample letter you can send to your clients seeking their consent which you can access here or in our guide to billing out and marking up freelance lawyers’ fees.

To avoid the potential for conflicts of interest to arise with your file, Flex Legal does not hold or have access to any confidential information or documentation relating to the matters worked on by the Flex Legal freelance lawyers.

​Just as you, the hiring lawyer, must run conflicts checks, our Flex Legal lawyers individually run checks and monitor for any potential conflicts which may arise as a result of work which they have previously carried out. 

Flex Legal has a confidentiality agreement with our freelance lawyers within our Membership Terms of Use (signed by all freelancers with our platform) which applies alongside their usual professional obligations, and as lawyers licensed and insured in Canada they are bound by their duty of confidentiality. ​

​Great! Head to our Hire Us page and let’s get started!