Thinking about working as a free-lance attorney? Get your agreement in writing.

Get it in writing (when you can) is the gist of this article from the Lawyerist.

From the article:

The question of whether the work of a freelance attorney requires a written agreement seems obvious at first glance — “get it in writing” is the golden rule, after all. In practice it is not always that simple. There may be situations, depending on the client, project, or timetable, where getting a written freelance work agreement is not possible or necessary.

Yours truly worked for a law firm on the other side of the state after taking the Bar exam & before getting licensed and starting my own firm. It was a great way to get exposed to a "real life" practice and away from Bar exam questions. But we didn't have any agreement in writing for what we were doing, which I regret.

I really enjoyed doing freelance work. It was mostly legal research and some drafting of pleadings. I had a bit of experience, but I didn't have as much risk as the attorney who was taking in the work. On the downside, it was very come and go. When I got a new bit of work, it was red hot, and I'd work over the weekend to get it done. But once it was done I might go for three weeks without any new work.

How to start a freelance law practice

from The Lawyerist blog:

As the legal profession evolves to meet the changing demands of the marketplace, freelance attorneys have a new angle on the practice of law, and their numbers have been growing in the largest U.S. legal markets over the past several years. Freelance attorneys enjoy much greater flexibility and control over their law practices than most solo practitioners. And because freelance attorneys are independent contractors hired by other attorneys to handle legal work on a contract project basis, setting up a freelance practice is fairly straightforward.

Article here. 

Side note: I know a few attorneys who are freelancers. I did freelance work for a short while before I set up my own place. To me, the advantage of starting a firm was in having a dedicated space for work. I still got work done while freelancing with no "actual" office, but my level of distractability was higher. I personally need a space where I can close the door when I need to concentrate, and that the closed door will be respected. For the freelance attorneys I know, they like the fact that their low overhead means they can say "no" to work they'd prefer not to do. I have less freedom that way, since I have expenses to meet that are attached to having an office.