Tips For Being A Legal Contractor

Being a legal contractor has lots of advantages.

Flexibility for one.

Or you may want to improve your cash flow (being paid bi-weekly is way better than net 30 or 60).

Or you haven't locked down a permanent legal job yet.

Having been on both sides of this, here are some tips and thoughts.

1) You are not an employee. If an employee is like immediate family, you are like a guest, and lets face it, family comes first. Uncertainty around problems or concerns will generally be held against the contractor.

2) Record everything you do in your own log, even if the company has its own task management system. The truth is that most legal departments have very rudimentary systems, often just a simple spreadsheet. And even if the company uses something a bit more sophisticated like Salesforce.com, the records tend to be optimized for sales and finance, and not the legal department. I like Microsoft Planner, which is relatively simple and probably free if you company uses Office 365 Enterprise. 

3) Stay Busy. If you run out of tasks, ask your immediate supervisor for work. If there are no immediate tasks, ask if there is anything else you can do, such as work with another group, file or scan documents, or even help other functions.

4) Soon after you start working, take one of your colleagues to lunch to learn unspoken norms of behavior, hot button issues, personality conflicts, etc. The best way to avoid stepping on a landmine is to have a map of minefield.

5) Make your work visible and yourself invisible. Make you phone calls and emails short, professional, and friendly (but not too friendly). You don't want your personality to inadvertently upset the unspoken norms just discussed.

6) If you are only working part of the week, make sure an in house attorney is responsible for interfacing with internal clients and counter-parties. We live in a get it done yesterday 24x7 world. In-house attorneys tend to work when needed, including nights and weekends. A contractor, however, and only works prescribed hours and that's it, which may come across as being unresponsive.

7) Ask for periodic feedback. It improves both the quality of the engagement and the attorney as an individual. It also acts like a relief valve, reducing any misunderstanding or irritation that your supervisor may have regarding your work.

8) NEVER ASK IF YOU WILL BE HIRED FOR A PERMANENT POSITION. It puts everyone in an awkward position: you, the agency that placed you, and the company. This type of discussion is generally best held between the agency and the company.

Something about Alex Sousa

I've been in the legal business for over 9 years, both as inside and outside counsel at public companies and innovative startups. I've personally drafted and negotiated hundreds of commercial agreements, managed several M&A activities, and drafted, prosecuted, & managed hundreds of patents.

And by the way, I've also accumulated a large library of legal templates over the years. If you are looking for something in particular, feel free to reach out to me.

Disclaimer

The information in this article is for general informational purposes only. The information presented is not legal advice or a legal opinion, and it may not necessarily reflect the most current legal developments. You should seek the advice of legal counsel of your choice before acting upon any of the information in this article.