Law Firm Jobs – Unleashing Freedom for Freelance Lawyers
Scott-Moncrieff is an innovative law firm that works with self-sufficient, freelance attorneys for our deliverables. We are currently hiring licensed freelance attorneys for law firm jobs in Washington DC, and our offer to you is not only competitive but also meant to be supportive. Our goal is to support our attorneys and help them build the work/life balance they prefer so that they can do their absolute best for our shared clients.
As you’ll learn more about below in greater detail, the key benefits that we offer to our freelance attorneys include:
- The most current and effective case management and accounts systems
- Supervision and guidance to perform your best
- A 70/30 fee split, with you keeping 70% of the gross billable fees that you generate
- We offer workstations, day offices, meeting rooms, office services (scanning, mailing, photocopying), etc. At no extra cost.
These are just the highlights, with the many benefits and advantages of pursuing law firm jobs as a freelance attorney with Scott Moncrieff explored in-depth below.
Join Scomo – Virtual & Remote Law Firm Jobs in Washington, DC
Working with Scomo as a freelance lawyer benefits you from being self-employed, including working from home or at our downtown Washington DC office, or a hybrid of both. You can manage your own hours, and you get to keep 70% of the fees you bill. That was not a typo; your fee split is 70/30 in your favor, with the 30% to us not simply profit but providing you with a broad suite of support services and products to enhance your ability to perform on the job.
If you would like to discuss how to advance your legal career as a freelance lawyer with Scomo, and you have at least 5 years of professional experience as a barred attorney in a particular area of law, you are what we are seeking for our law firm jobs. Contact us at recruit@scomolaw.com, and we’ll connect with you to discuss further details.
From the Pages of Legal Practice Management: Scomo’s Innovative Approach to Law Firm Jobs
The managing director of Scott Moncrieff, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, was interviewed in the publication “Legal Practice Management” pages concerning the practice format. Scomo was the first virtual firm in the UK and has gained considerable experience over the years in managing employees from a distance.
Small and medium-sized firms are increasingly embracing the format of remote or agile working due to the ongoing and rapid advancements in legal technology. Our freelance legal practitioners are not the only ones experiencing a benefit, as we, too, have realized the benefits of working with a flexible workforce. Our firm was one of the first to begin taking advantage of the benefits of a virtual firm, with some even having done so before dial-up internet was invented.
Scott Moncrieff & Associates was the first virtual firm in the UK, founded in 1987 by former Law Society President, human rights advocate, and work/life balance proponent Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, CBE. The first to begin as a solo practice, but would quickly expand in the coming years, and in the decades since has matured into a “dispersed” firm of over 50 fee earners across the UK. The attorneys with Scomo provide commercial and social welfare services through their remote work across the UK, showcasing the progressive nature of law firm jobs in a virtual environment.
Empowering Employees and Clients: The Role of Law Firm Jobs in Legal Technology
As noted by founding partner Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, CBE herself: “I established Scomo, as we call it, in London, shortly after my first child was born – to give myself the flexibility of self-employment to combine work with motherhood and the chance to focus on practicing human rights. I didn’t need an office, and it was cheap and easy to work from home – so that’s what I did.”
The purpose of Scomo Law is to provide freelance attorneys with the support and framework they need to focus on billable hours in their practice. As clarified by Ms. Scott-Moncrieff, “The key to Scomo’s business model is enabling fee earners to focus on law firm jobs and billable hours in their practice. We need our team of administrators and managers to do much of our consultants’ unremunerated work from afar.” By providing attorneys with remote administrative support, they can generate more billable hours without wasting their time on administrative and compliance tasks that would otherwise go unbilled.
Sophisticated Technology Adds Value to our Legal Services
Remote working from the perspective of Scomo provides all parties involved with benefits, ranging from a better work/life balance for employees to superior services provided to clients. To provide a foundation for this, Scomo has a sophisticated legal technology support system in place, which Ms. Scott-Moncrieff notes as follows:
- “Advancements in technology allowed Scomo to become much more sophisticated in its support offering, and fee earners now have access to an array of law firm jobs. The business also became popular with solicitors who wanted the freedom and benefits of working remotely.”
- “I simply didn’t need an office – most of my clients were in hospital, and because they couldn’t leave or even make phone calls at that time, I had to go and visit them.”
Not only does legal technology and remote work add value to the work product provided to clients, but founding partner Scott-Moncrieff also noted to “Legal Practice Management” that the format also supports family life. As pointed out by Attorney Scott-Moncrieff, “Remote working has allowed me to juggle motherhood with work and hold key appointments that have enabled me to help change legal for the better.” Additionally, through her ongoing commitment to social justice and the advancement of the legal profession, founding partner Scott-Moncrieff contributes as chair of the Law Society’s Equality and Diversity Committee.
Optimizing Virtual Practice Management for Enhanced Law Firm Jobs
Scomo emerged as one of the first UK firms offering law firm jobs as a result of the needs of Attorney Scott-Moncrieff, which it turned out were shared by many other attorneys working in the industry. The firm first began to evolve towards the virtual format when Attorney Scott-Moncrieff partnered with colleague Anthony Harbour, who had a specialty in cases concerning children who had been detained in psychiatric hospitals.
Likewise, Attorney Harbour did not need an office, given his remote visits and ability to complete work at home. As noted by Attorney Scott-Moncrieff, “Anthony and I worked independently and together, though at that point we were only connected by telephone and fax. But gradually, as word of mouth spread, more people wanted to work with us. I wanted to expand the firm by bringing on talent but wanted to keep our structure – so I devised a model where Scomo fee earners would essentially work as law firm jobs consultants.”
At Scomo, You are a Self-Employed Virtual Earner
The motivation to operate a firm remotely and work as convenient, where convenient, would lead attorneys Scott-Moncrieff and Harbour to expand the business model to allow additional attorneys. Attorneys earning fees working with Scott Moncrieff work from their home or one of our satellite offices, while in turn, billing is shared. Operations occur under the Scomo umbrella, and the percentage of earnings that we take includes a hub of law firm jobs, business support services to support your performance, and the quality of services provided to our clients.
As noted by founding partner Scott Moncrieff, “Scomo’s practice director is my right-hand man and runs the day-to-day operations of the firm from our business services hub – but we also employ an office manager, accountant, and several office administrators.” These support staff members allow for the provision of compliance functions and accounting services, supporting record-keeping. The business hub also maintains the legal technology available to our freelance attorneys, serving as the beating heart of our law firm jobs organization.
We Support Our Freelance Attorneys’ Focus on Law Firm Jobs and Billable Work
If you’ve ever run your own law firm, you understand the sizable amounts of time that unbilled work can consume, removing from your ability to live life and enjoy the earnings generated from your billable hours. Through the support services and administrative options available to freelance attorneys with Scomo, they have the ability to focus on law firm jobs and billable hours.
Attorney Scott-Moncrieff notes that “the key to Scomo’s business model, or any other virtual firm, is enabling fee earners to focus on remunerated work. Though we provide an array of tech solutions to drive efficiencies, we also need our team of administrators and managers to do much of our consultants’ unremunerated work from afar.”
Effective Management Overcomes Challenges and Complications
While working in a virtual firm is largely beneficial for all parties involved, there are times when logistical issues emerge that require proactive management. In a traditional firm, for example, it can be easier to discuss with a colleague by simply going to their office. A challenge of a virtual firm can be access and availability; however, when it comes to our freelance attorneys, we make sure to be available.
Diligent Document Uploading and Virtual Practice Management Supports Performance
To support the overall performance and function of the firm, our freelance attorneys must be proactive in their uploading of documents. We are not a firm that uses time-consuming paper records that can easily be lost after taking time to transport. Attorney Scott-Moncrieff notes, “Our model also requires practitioners to be extra diligent about uploading documents rather than just relying on hard copies – because we rely on updated online records to effectively run the law firm jobs business.”
The advancement of technology has provided Scott Moncrieff with ongoing opportunities to improve remote management practices. Telephone and fax have evolved into email and cloud-based case management software and accounting software alongside video communications.
Technology Supports Management and the Specialization of the Firm
Using technology, our UK office has effectively supported the performance of over 50 fee earners. Our ability to offer top-notch services has enabled us to expand into specialty services in company and commercial practice. Technology has also supported the commitment of the firm to engage in legal aid and social welfare law. As a result, fee earners are able to be more productive during their paid time, freeing up time to commit to social causes.
Our administrative, accounting, and case management support systems have allowed our existing freelance attorneys to perform at the top of their game, and we have continued to attract new talent. Between 2020-2022 alone, Scott Moncrieff experienced a 32% increase in gross fees, and we are bringing this momentum into the legal market of Washington DC
Break Free from the Lock-Step! Embrace a Flexible Schedule for Our Remote Law Firm Jobs Attorneys
One of the key benefits to Scott Moncrieff in operating a virtual firm is the lure of remote work for talented workers. As noted by Attorney Scott-Moncrieff, “It’s particularly attractive for lawyers because of the model’s cost-saving benefits and the firm’s competitive contracts with suppliers. But many lawyers are looking to work with the benefits of law firm jobs – some aren’t happy with their career progression, while others want greater flexibility and autonomy in their working lives,” further noting that many recent additions were attorneys who once worked for firms with the “big law” classification.
We Handle the Logistics So You can Focus on the Billable Earnings
Remote work benefits not only the law firm but also the remote freelance attorneys who work alongside us. This helps to make our business more competitive and adds value to the services that our clients receive. Many attorneys are not interested in having to handle the many managerial and administrative demands and challenges that come along with owning and operating their own law firm.
Scomo’s law firm jobs attract attorneys who are “great lawyers” by providing them with the administrative support that attorneys need to stop being employees while simultaneously avoiding the many administrative demands that come with operating a practice.
Inquire About Our Law Firm Jobs at Scott-Moncrieff & Associates
Being a freelance attorney with Scomo is the perfect median between private practice and being an employee at big law. Contact recruit@scomolaw.com today to learn about our law firm jobs and how we can earn together.