Start Your Freelance Career

• Author: Lindsay Sestile
• Pages: 16-17

Published in Litigation News Volume 46, Number 1, Fall 2020. © 2 020 by the American Bar A ssociation. Repro duced with permissi on. All rights reser ved. This informati on or any portion the reof may not be copie d or disseminated in any form

or by any means or stored i n an electronic database o r retrieval syst em without the expr ess written co nsent of the American B ar Association.

Star t Your

Freelance Career

The legal industr y is evolving, and the current pandemic is sp ark-

ing a new rise in the prevalence of f reelance attorneys. Clio

Blog’s Sharon Miki b elieves freelancing is a good f‌it for lawyers

looking for f‌lexible ho urs, remote work, and workload control.

She oers a step- by-step guide to beginnin g a freelance opera-

tion: (1) Get malpr actice insurance: While a f‌irm hiring you shou ld

have sucient coverage for your work, yo u want your own cover-

age to mitigate risk. (2) Market yoursel f: Informing other lawyers

you know that you’re available for free lance work can be a win-

ning strategy, but you should also invest in a n online presence,

even if only LinkedIn. (3) U se platforms: Platforms connectin g

freelance and hiri ng attorneys make it easier to f‌ind clients,

but remember to limit you r searches to your licensed juris-

dictions. (4) Build a winning free lance prof‌ile: If using a platform, create a prof‌il e to attract good clients

by showcasing your strengths, p osting a professional prof‌ile photograph , providing writing samples, and

highlighting your track reco rd with strong references. (5) Determine whether you ’ll charge a f‌lat fee or an

hourly rate: While there are a n umber of factors to consider, hourly rates average $253 as of 2 019. (6) Sign

a written agreement a nd perform a conf‌licts check befo re you start work: The agreement shou ld set forth

the scope, agreed com pensation, and other ethical and l egal considerations. (7) Use tools to coll aborate:

Ask for access to tools that might m ake the experience smoother, like the f‌irm’s practice manag ement

software. (8) Invest in buildi ng relationships: Having f‌irms that want to work with you again me ans spend-

ing less time chasing gigs.

http://bit.ly/LN461-pn1

Lindsay Sestile , Litigation News Associate Ed itor, monitors the blogosphere.

Made in USA?

Tea enthusiasts f‌iled a c lass action

in California fe deral court, seeking

economic and e quitable relief from

Bigelow Tea, allegin g the company

falsely and de ceptively represented

that its tea produc ts were made

in the United States . Covering the

July 2020 f‌iling fo r Ad Law Access,

Christie Gry mes Thompson notes

the plaintis ’ chief complaint is that

Bigelow adver tises its tea prod-

ucts as “Ma nufactured in the USA

100% Amer ican Family Owned” and

“America’s Classic” w hen the tea

is actually grown a nd processed in

India and Sri L anka. While Bigelow

does own a tea plantati on in South

Carolina, n one of its packaged teas

are sourced dom estically. Thompson

indicates this f‌il ing is an important

reminder that wh ile the Federal Trade

Commission (F TC) is the primary

watchdog for “M ade in USA” claims,

“private plainti s are also watching

and can seek o ptions under state laws

prohibiting unf air and deceptive acts

and practices .” She reminds adver-

tisers to remain vig ilant in ensuring

“Made in USA” claim s are substanti-

ated, noting FTC guidelines require

“all or virtually a ll” of the product be

made domesti cally to support an un-

qualif‌ied “ Made in USA” claim.

http://bit.ly/LN461-pn2

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