In this article Lucy Hamblin, Senior Resourcing Manager for the UK, explores how flexibility is reshaping legal careers and what it means for lawyers and employers today.
Flexibility and a legal career haven’t always gone hand in hand. Traditionally, the legal profession was known for its rigid hours and office-based culture, with work-life balance often seen as the price of success. The pandemic changed this, accelerating the adoption of flexible working across the market. Yet, as the world returns to normal we’re seeing many organizations reverting to their previous positions. For those who made significant changes to their personal and professional lives during the pandemic, this shift has been tough to accept.
This raises important questions for both lawyers and employers: How can we build sustainable legal careers that allow for personal needs and better well-being?
I have some thoughts, but first, it’s important to recognize that flexibility is deeply personal and multifaceted. Almost every lawyer I speak to about consulting mentions flexibility as their top driver. We always take the time to understand what flexibility means to each individual, and typically, it comes down to one or more of the following priorities:
- Flexible work structure and hours: for some, this means part-time roles or reduced hours; for others, it’s about adjusting start and finish times.
- Remote and hybrid working: the option to work from home, even part of the week, gives people more control over their schedules.
- Career breaks and sabbaticals: many value the freedom to take time out for rest, travel, or personal development.
- Choice of clients and projects: more lawyers want to select work that aligns with their interests and expertise, rather than being assigned matters based solely on capacity or internal relationships.
At Peerpoint, we’ve worked hard to address these needs, enabling our consultants to enjoy genuine flexibility while maintaining high standards of client service.
Flexible work structure and hours
According to the 2024 Report on the State of the UK Legal Market by Thomson Reuters, law firms are increasingly adopting flexible work arrangements to attract and retain talent, including part-time roles and fixed-hours contracts. Yet, I’ve only seen about two percent of lawyer jobs on LinkedIn advertised as part-time.
There are real challenges to working less than a 40-hour week in law. Legal work is often unpredictable, with urgent matters arising unexpectedly, making it hard to manage workloads that don’t decrease proportionally with reduced hours. There’s also the risk of working beyond contracted hours to meet deadlines or client expectations for constant availability.
It’s not always easy to overcome these challenges, especially with clients leading transaction-heavy teams or deals spanning multiple time zones. However, we’ve found solutions that work for everyone involved. For example, we’ve placed lawyers in job shares, each working 2.5 days a week. With clear communication and handovers, their delivery was seamless for the client. Sometimes, we adjust the scope of work so consultants can complete tasks on their own schedule, as long as deadlines and quality standards are met. This might mean being less client-facing and focusing on discrete parts of transactions. We also have consultants who work reduced hours, finishing early to manage family commitments and logging on in the evening if it is necessary.
The most important factor for success is communication—making sure colleagues and stakeholders know when you’re available so work can be allocated accordingly.
Remote and hybrid working
Flexible working changed dramatically after the pandemic, with remote and hybrid models becoming widespread. This shift led to greater use of digital tools and a new appreciation for work-life balance and autonomy. Now, as the pandemic threat has lessened, many employers are encouraging or requiring a return to the office, aiming to restore pre-pandemic routines for reasons like collaboration, company culture, and productivity. Unfortunately, this return to traditional office-based work has left many lawyers with caring or parental responsibilities feeling their careers are unsustainable.
I wish I could say moving to consultancy is the answer, but in reality, many organizations extend their hybrid working policies to temporary staff as well. We’ve already seen roles this year requiring five days a week in the office, and clients have struggled to find people willing to make that commitment.
However, Peerpoint has had some success providing fully remote options. As a global legal consulting platform, we’ve enabled consultants based in the UK to support clients in the UAE and Australia, and vice versa. This has worked almost seamlessly for our clients.
Career breaks and sabbaticals
Career breaks and sabbaticals are becoming more popular as legal professionals look for opportunities to recharge, pursue personal interests, or gain new skills. These breaks can offer valuable time for reflection, travel, or further education, contributing to personal growth and renewed motivation. Moving to legal consultancy can help facilitate such breaks, allowing individuals to plan time away knowing they can return to work on their own terms. This flexibility supports a healthier work-life balance and lets people tailor their careers to their evolving aspirations.
Of course, there are risks. It’s important to be financially and personally prepared for the ups and downs, as factors outside your control can affect when and how you next work. Planning ahead—both financially and professionally—can make these transitions smoother.
Selection of clients and projects
In permanent roles, matters are typically allocated based on your specialism, capacity, and relationships. Increasingly, though, lawyers want more autonomy—to choose the clients and projects that align with their interests and expertise. Legal consulting offers a valuable alternative, letting them focus on areas of law that matter most to them.
At Peerpoint, we invest time in understanding what our consultants hope to achieve, identifying their transferable skills, and drawing on our experience to help them reach their goals.
Being truly selective does require careful planning, especially to ensure you have the financial resources to decline assignments that don’t contribute meaningfully to your career. Our advice in this article on navigating sector changes will also be helpful for anyone with specific criteria in mind for their next role.
Final thoughts
Flexibility in the legal profession is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for attracting and retaining top talent. By embracing new ways of working, both lawyers and organizations can build more sustainable, fulfilling careers. At Peerpoint, we’re committed to helping legal professionals define and achieve their own version of flexibility. If you’re considering your next steps, I encourage you to reflect on what flexibility means to you and how you can make it a reality in your career.
