This is the second post in our series “How I Became A Freelance Lawyer” by our Flex Lawyers. Today’s post is by Heather Cross:
I became a freelance lawyer when I was five months pregnant with my second son. After articling, I worked for the Cornwall Public Inquiry for nearly four years. The work was mainly legal writing and research, which suited my quiet and detail-oriented nature to a T and allowed me to indulge my love of language. It was perfect.
After the Inquiry ended, I worried that I would not find another position that suited me so well. I decided to take several months off to spend time with my oldest son, who was a bubbly little two-year-old at the time.
By the time I decided to go back to work, I was quite obviously pregnant—not an ideal time to be looking for work. I decided to forgo answering job ads and take things into my own hands. I started to call some lawyers I knew to see if they might be interested in having me do some of their research and writing work. One of the first lawyers I contacted was Michael Crystal, a criminal lawyer I had met when I was an articling student. He had work available for me immediately and the work continued to flow. Over five years later I continue to work with Michael a great deal, and I have gathered a number of other clients as well.
Working with other lawyers creates a wonderful win-win situation. I receive varied and interesting work that fits my skill set, and the lawyers I work with gain peace of mind and more time in their day. Knowing that I will provide them with reliable research and high-quality writing allows them to spend more time on other things, such as meeting with clients, being in court, spending time with family or going on holiday.
I couldn’t ask for a better career.
