3+ Benefits of Hiring Contract Attorneys

The gig economy is flourishing, with businesses of all sizes and industries now outsourcing tasks that were traditionally handled by full-time employees. It’s a timely and cost-effective solution that enables companies to reach their objectives, all while tapping into a diverse pool of skilled talent.

Software development, cloud migration, graphic design—these are all commonly contracted tasks, but the outsourced professional you’ve maybe never heard of? Contract attorneys.

What is a Contract Attorney?

A contract attorney, or a temporary attorney, is a legal professional who’s hired on a temporary or contract-to-hire basis to assist with specific legal projects or cases. These professionals come in handy for all sorts of short-term support situations, including large document review and eDiscovery projects.

For instance, consider a law firm specializing in commercial litigation. They’ve recently taken on a lawsuit involving a multi-billion-dollar business dispute. As part of the legal process, they need to review a large volume of documents that are potentially relevant to the case. These documents include emails, contracts, financial records, and communication logs spanning several years.

Recognizing that their existing in-house legal team does not have the capacity to handle the review without compromising their ongoing cases, the law firm decides to engage contract attorneys to help out.

Here are a few more examples of how contract attorneys can be beneficial:

Meeting legal support needs during medical absences
Covering parental leave or other forms of absence
Augmenting project capacity for upcoming ventures
Supporting ongoing projects when the existing team is stretched thin

Who Uses Contract Attorneys?

Contracts attorneys can be a versatile resource used by pretty much any entity or individual in need of professional legal support.

Law Firms

Law firms hire contract attorneys to manage workload fluctuations, bring in specialized expertise, and meet temporary staffing needs. When things get busy, contract attorneys step in to handle extra tasks like legal research and document review. This way, the firm’s full-time attorneys can dedicate their attention to core client work.

Corporate Legal Teams

Temporary attorneys can be valuable members of corporate legal teams. They play a crucial role in managing increased workloads, especially during regulatory compliance projects, contract drafting and review, and more. For instance, when embarking on the development of a new product or service, there are numerous regulatory obligations and compliance factors to consider, adding to an already loaded list of legal considerations.

By engaging a contract attorney with specialized expertise, legal teams can depend on their assistance to handle these matters effectively, laying the foundation for the company’s full-time attorneys to proceed with confidence.

A Few Benefits of Hiring Contract Attorneys

As mentioned earlier, contract attorneys can offer their support under a range of different contexts, like covering someone’s parental leave or providing much-needed extra brainpower on a taxing case. But there are other benefits to using temporary attorneys too.

To start, smaller law firms looking to grow their practice can take on more cases outside of their practice area with the help of contract attorneys who specialize in those areas. With the assistance of enough temporary attorneys, small firms can even evolve into full-service firms.

Moreover, temporary attorney work arrangements offer law firms and legal teams the opportunity to evaluate potential permanent staff in a hands-on environment, empowering legal hiring managers to make informed hiring decisions.

Other benefits include:

Increased project flexibility.
More resources dedicated to time-consuming administrative tasks.
Reduced overhead costs typically associated with full-time attorneys.

Could Temporary Legal Talent be the Staffing Solution for You?

When it comes to filling temporary legal positions with skilled contract attorneys, finding the right candidates can be a challenging task. The good news is that you don’t have to journey alone. Consider partnering with a temporary legal staffing agency like Insight Global to streamline your hiring process and discover the ideal contract attorneys to meet your needs.

“Legal hiring managers only have time for 5 to 10 percent of their day to actually allocate to hiring, but that’s 100 percent of our day. Your need is our top priority.” – Joshua Hoeft, Account Manager at Insight Global

Connect with Qualified Attorneys Today

Whether you want temporary support, or a new partner dedicated to your team full-time, Insight Global is here to meet all your legal hiring needs. Our extensive network connects you with a wide range of qualified attorneys, ensuring you find the right match for your requirements, every time.