What freelancers need to understand about Legos

When I was a child, my brother and I spent countless hours building with Lego blocks. For the uninitiated (if there are any left in the world), Lego blocks are plastic building blocks about 1” x ½” or smaller that can be connected together to build things. We had a simple collection of Lego blocks with which we built whatever we dreamed up on any given day. Castles, forts, houses, cars, airplanes, robots, and more. If we could dream it, we could create it. We were limited only by our imagination, and, eventually, the number of blocks we had at our disposal.

When I moved to San Diego, I experienced a new level of the creative power of Legos on a visit to Legoland, a theme park with rides and attractions, all featuring the ageless Lego blocks. The sculptures and landscapes constructed out of hundreds of thousands of Lego blocks boggle the mind! Here is a picture of a massive dragon dwarfing the child standing next to it. Here is a picture of a replica of the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas, complete with cars, fountains, and tourists. These and hundreds more are all made out of those same individual Lego blocks I played with as a child.

So what do Legos have to do with freelancers? A lot, actually. Individual Lego blocks are colorful, useful, hardy, and practically indestructible. However, they have little use or longevity by themselves. By themselves, they are little different from any other piece of plastic and will, sooner or later, get sucked up by a vacuum cleaner and end up in a landfill. Together with other blocks, however, they can build the most amazing things, then be disconnected and be built into other amazing things. The possibilities are endless.

Freelancers are like Lego blocks. Individually they sit around the country, periodically used in projects (by law firms), but far too much of the time collecting dust on a shelf. It is hard to see that freelancers are even there. By themselves, they are small and don’t attract much attention. If a law firm is looking, even if they want to use a freelancer, they may not be able to find one.

Freelancers, it’s time to do some building. Unite together in a force that will be seen and cannot be ignored by the legal profession. NAFLP needs your participation to thrive and grow. Only you can make it happen.

Freelance legal professionals continue to unite

In early 2008, Amanda Mineer and I launched an ambitious project - creating an organization to support and educate freelance legal professionals across the country. We didn't know how many freelance legal professionals were out there, and didn't know how many were embracing freelancing as a meaningful career choice.

We have been pleasantly surprised, and indeed somewhat overwhelmed, at the incredible response to our efforts. We have personally communicated with legal freelancers throughout the country and are working to assemble the resources that they need to enhance and grow their freelancing business.

Six months ago we reported that the NAFLP blog had been visited by readers from 39 states and 15 countries and NAFLP already had members from 26 states. As of today, we can now report that the NAFLP blog has been viewed by thousands of readers in every state in the United States, and in over 40 countries. NAFLP now has members in 45 states, including the District of Columbia.

Members, we encourage you to get on the NAFLP Members Forum and get to know your fellow freelancers and share ideas and excitement for this important segment of the legal profession. If you have not yet joined, we invite you to do so today.

Within the next few weeks, we will be announcing a new round of educational teleseminars on topics ranging from marketing to retirement planning. While plans are being finalized, please respond to our new poll regarding topics of interest.

Thank you for your continuing support of NAFLP!

Melody Kramer and Amanda Mineer

Labor Day updated - envisioning a flexible work force

Today is Labor Day, an annual celebration of the American worker and the important contribution of labor organizations to this country. What better day is there to rethink the structure of how Americans do their jobs?

Our daily lives have dramatically changed in the last few decades from established structure to flexibility on every level. It used to be that if you wanted to watch the 6 o'clock news, you had to be in front of your TV at 6 o'clock. If you wanted to conduct bank transactions, you had to physically go to the bank during regular business hours. If you wanted to do research, you had to go to a library during their regular hours. If you wanted to take a college course, you had to sit in a classroom. If you were away from home and wanted to make a phone call, you had to find a payphone. None of that is the same.

With all this new found flexibility in our lives, why do employers still have their employees work the same hours, with the same pay schedules, with the same leave schedules, and in the same offices? Does that create for more efficient work product? Hardly. Americans who are searching for more work-life balance, and parents who are committed to spending more time raising their kids, and abandoning traditional work modes in droves.

Labor unions were useful in their day, and in some industries and industry segments probably still serve an important purpose, but there are other options.

The National Association of Freelance Legal Professionals was founded and designed to assist individuals in creating their own jobs, their own careers, on their own terms and parameters. It is not, and never will be, like a workers union. It is NAFLP's goal to assist individuals in their own businesses.

NAFLP is just the beginning, however. What would the American work force be like if all industries had quality, driven freelancers who bargained for their own working conditions and led balanced lives?

"If You Build It . . . They Will Come" - Legal Freelancers Are Uniting!

It has been less than two months since Amanda and I officially launched the NAFLP blog and started accepting memberships. The response has been phenomenal and we want to thank all of you for supporting our efforts.

Just to give you a little glimpse of how far word has spread about NAFLP, as of today, our site has been visited by readers in 39 states and 15 countries, including India, Pakistan, Australia, Norway, Canada, Germany, Spain, Russia, and others.

Members of NAFLP are signing up daily and are currently located in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, and Washington DC.

We suggest that you participate in the NAFLP Forum to get to know your fellow NAFLP members and support each other. Upon registration you should receive information on accessing the Forum. Contact us if you need this information - amanda@naflp.org. We also welcome you to participate in one or both of our upcoming educational events; information and registration links are above.

Thank you for joining with us in working towards successful careers and a better legal profession!

Why Even Temporary Contract Lawyers Should Bother Joining an Organization

A consistent thread keeps surfacing in discussions on and off of this blog - why should contract lawyers bother joining an organization when they hope they won’t be doing contract work for long?

The answer is simple. Most lawyers will be contract lawyers at some point in their career. The reasons will vary. Fresh out of law school, doing contract work may be a means of paying the bills until passing the bar or while interviewing for other jobs. At other points in time, the reasons may be the desire to have a healthy work-life balance, to care for your children, or care for your aging parents. Others simply like the flexibility and control over one’s own career.

Additionally, an increasing number of law firms and corporate legal departments will be looking to contract attorneys to assist or handle special projects. Most lawyers will thus also be using contract lawyers to handle projects for them. Having an intimate knowledge about this sometimes untapped pool of contract attorney attorney talent can increase the bottom line for the law firms and their clients.

Another important reason is networking, networking, networking. Contract lawyer contacts are often the source of job referrals or information about more challenging contract work. Many lawyers currently working non-freelance jobs have reported to us that they take every opportunity to hire contact lawyers when they need additional work done.

Joining NAFLP will engage contract attorneys and other freelance legal professionals in a productive, proactive community that is coming together for mutual education and assistance about the legal outsourcing segment of the legal industry. Whether you intend to work contract forever or only until another opportunity presents itself, NAFLP will provide you with useful career tools and a supportive network.

"Almost Impossible" Means It Is Possible for Contract Lawyers to Organize

I read with interest a February 5, 2008 post by Joe Miller of http://jdwired.com/ entitled “5 Reasons Why Forming a Contract Attorney Union Is Almost Impossible.” I’m so glad he said “almost.” He is optimistic that something can be done, and I want to respond to his legitimate points.

1. Time Consuming. It is true that a large amount of energy is required to start a new organization, developing plans of action, mailing lists, etc. The National Association of Freelance Legal Professionals is the result of years of planning and preparation, and much remains to be done. However, Amanda and I are keenly aware of the need and desire for such an organization and are committed to its success.

2. Weak Economy. Plenty of lawyers and paralegals are doing contract work without a union. They don’t need a “labor union” in the traditional sense, but rather need assistance in taking control of their own career and learning how to be financially successful and independent. No more need to be held captive by BigLaw or a temp agency. As a freelancer, you work for yourself, govern your own hours and working conditions, and determine your own pay.

3. Contract Lawyers are too Decentralized. That is a true statement now, but won’t be for long. NAFLP is designed to bring in freelancers from all over the country to share their experience and expertise with each other. Contract lawyers and paralegals need a central support system that is not bound to any particular project.

Freelancers are about to have another source of centralization too – FreelanceLaw, Inc. FreelanceLaw, a sponsoring organization of NAFLP, is beginning beta-testing of a web-based legal outsourcing network that is specially designed and tailored to the legal profession. Law firms will be able to locate and retain qualified freelancers online, and payments will be processed through FreelanceLaw so that freelancers can receive direct deposit paychecks bi-monthly for their work. Freelancers determine what work they want to do and determine their own pay rate. Queries from potential beta-testers can be directed to freelancelaw@gmail.com.

4. Most Contract Lawyers Don’t Plan to Be Doing It for Long. Contract lawyers don’t plan to be contracting for long primarily because (a) they or their peers view contracting as being a lesser lawyer; or (b) the experience is not rewarding. Neither NAFLP nor FreelanceLaw preclude members from exploring their options. They are not bound to be contract lawyers forever, however, we can provide significant expertise, insight, and information to assist along the way.

5. Who’s the Employer? This question demonstrates why a traditional union for contract attorneys would not work. The very nature of freelancing is that the freelancer is their own boss. Let us dispense with the myth that lawyers or paralegals must have an “employer.” They don’t. During my first year of law school our career placement head made a statement that I will never forget – “when you are a lawyer, you don’t need a job, you only need a client.” Truer words were never spoken. Whether that “client” is another lawyer or the actual client, you do not need to receive W-2s from a law firm to have a successful legal career.

Mr. Miller is 100% correct. A traditional union structure is not the way to organize contract attorneys. However, a voluntary association created to assist, inform, and educate freelancers and law firms alike, is a workable model.