Freelancers Can Assist Law Firms in the Discovery Stage

Freelancers Can Assist Law Firms in the Discovery Stage

Written by Desiree Nordstrom.

We all know that when a case ends up in litigation, deadlines come fast and often. Then add the loads from all the other cases an attorney juggles and those deadlines seem to creep up faster than normal. The demands of litigation are time-consuming and burdensome, but when examining every stage of a litigation case, discovery seems to demand the most of an attorney’s time. I have spent countless hours reviewing documents, preparing for depositions, preparing clients for their depositions and summarizing depositions. Then there is the time spent on the written discovery including drafting document requests, interrogatories, affidavits, declarations and all the responses involved. As an attorney, if you do not have the man power to support you, whether you lack support staff or they too are overwhelmed with work, discovery will consume all your time and hinder your ability to work on anything else that needs attention.

This is when an attorney needs a freelance attorney to take work from their overloaded plate. Overflow Legal Network freelance attorneys have extensive experience in discovery work. Law firms would benefit greatly by using our network attorneys to complete discovery work. Discovery is one of the easiest projects to hand off to a freelancer because so little preparation is needed for a contract attorney to be brought up to speed where they can take off running. A freelancer would need to review the pleadings in the case and be briefed by the hiring attorney on what to focus on and anything else that would help in completing the project. With deadlines in mind, freelancers can pump these projects out for hiring firms.

Hiring a freelance attorney to complete discovery tasks is a no-brainer when using a cost-benefit analysis. The cost of paying a temporary contract attorney an hourly rate generally is lower than what a law firm would bill on an hourly basis if the project was completed in house, and that is a benefit as well? Law firms can pass that savings onto their client, who will be ecstatic. Or law firms may choose to mark-up the services if, ethically, the firm is permitted to do so.[1] In the end, the piece of mind that a hiring attorney will have from handing off a project and freeing up his or her time is an invaluable benefit.

So, the next time a case approaches the discovery stage, consider contacting Overflow Legal Network to gain the assistance of a qualified and trusted freelance attorney. Let us help you.

[1] See “Billing Clients for Outsourced Legal Support” for more information on marking up services provided by freelance attorneys.