Frequently Asked Questions
What is freelance legal consultancy?
A freelance legal consultant provides legal services in his own time as an independent contractor rather than being part of a law firm environment, providing more flexibility to clients by working on temporary projects or on a continuing basis pursuant to a written consultancy contract.
How does it work?
A legal consultancy arrangement is not very different from hiring a law firm except that a legal consultant offers you more flexibility at a lesser cost. An engagement typically follows these steps:
1. Get a quote: if you need interim support, we can jump on a Zoom or WhatsApp call. Within a few hours, you will get a fixed fee quote, estimated timeline, list of deliverable(s) and a standard form consultancy services agreement (CSA) and NDA.
2. Send the work: if you approve my fee quote, we will immediately sign the CSA and NDA. You will send me your instructions and relevant documents by email or provide access to a virtual data room/Google drive.
3. Delivery: the first deliverable(s) will be sent to you in draft form. You can send me your comments (if any), which I will incorporate and send you a final deliverable. After the job is done, I will send you my invoice.
Why did you quit your law firm job?
As much as I enjoyed the stability of working at a law firm and the opportunity to learn from my talented colleagues, I wanted to pursue a better work-life balance while continuing to earn an income and pursue other interests. Becoming a freelance lawyer provided that opportunity. Now I have more choice and flexibility over when and how I work and where I work from. There is a greater variety of work and a larger range of clients since I am able to select what work to take on and for whom.
What makes you different from other consultants?
I offer businesses access to top quality legal advice at affordable cost and a commitment to help them achieve their ambitious goals. Utilizing my experience, skills and strong network developed over a decade in various cities and countries, I foster strong client relationships and strive to be the safe pair of hands my clients need. If you require more information about my experience, download my CV or email me for an individual reference by clicking on the "Experience" section.
Do you have a niche?
I have worked on a broad range of cross-border and domestic transactions across various industries and sectors over the years, which equips me to advise you on a wide variety of matters, including commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, due diligences. However, one area where I have provided consistent advice to clients on their day-to-day operations as well as critical projects and investigations is competition law. Having worked closely with regulators in two jurisdictions, I understand their objectives and priorities and can provide value-added services to clients. It is for this reason that Senior Partners at both the top tier law firms I worked at would turn to me to deliver outcome-focused advice with pragmatic commercial acumen on all major competition law matters referred to them.
Which jurisdictions does your work cover?
I primarily offer my services for Pakistan and Oman law matters. However, I can provide general contract review, paralegal services, and 'principles-based, non-binding' advisory for any jurisdiction, including but not limited to the United Kingdom (where I originally qualified), the United States (where I currently reside), and the Middle East. All Oman law assignments shall be routed through the law firm with which I have a consultancy arrangement.
Do you have access to the same resources as a law firm?
Whilst I have my own personal resources and precedent base, to provide cutting edge support to my clients, I maintain resource sharing arrangement with well-established law firms and chambers to benefit from having full access to their extensive resources, knowledge and library.
What about professional indemnity insurance and tax?
The consultant will be responsible for professional indemnity insurance (if required) and any tax implications arising from the consultancy fee paid to the consultant.
Our Board of Directors/management is conservative; how do I convince them to hire a freelancer?
I recognize that use of freelance legal consultants is not the norm in our part of the world and your board of directors/management or seniors may take some convincing to hire a freelance lawyer over an established law firm. You can point out to them that there is a significant increase in use of freelance lawyers in recent years and a number of major international law firms including Allen & Overy, Freshfields and Simmons & Simmons have rolled out platforms to hire consultant lawyers and outsource their services to clients. Fortune 500 companies worldwide have increasingly turned to more flexible resources to cut cost, improve efficiency and leverage specialized talent. The challenges posed by COVID-19 to the economy has renewed interest in remote service-providers and out-of-box solutions.
How do we pay you?
After satisfactory completion of your assignment, I will raise an invoice based on pre-agreed hourly rates/ fixed fees. You can wire or deposit the fee in USD (preferred) or local currency to my bank account or pay through another mutually accepted medium. Unlike a law firm, I don't work off of non-negotiable hourly rates and would be open to discussing different fee arrangements and rates tailored to your needs and the complexity, duration and frequency of work. Special discounts are available for start-ups, non-profits and repeat clients.
I have more questions. Can we meet?
I am available to meet any time as soon as travel restriction are lifted. In the meanwhile, I am happy to set up a zoom call or a video meeting on Google Meets to answer your questions. Feel free to send me an email at any time if you need more information or wish to discuss a project!