Freelancing on LAWCLERK, answered

A marketplace where firms hire talented freelance attorneys across all 50 states. More than 12,000 attorneys use it for flexible hourly and project work.

You join, build a verified profile, and apply to posted jobs as an independent contractor. LAWCLERK processes payments and issues your Form 1099 each January.

1099. You are an independent contractor engaged by hiring attorneys; LAWCLERK handles payment processing and tax forms.

Flexible scheduling, multiple income streams (hourly and project work at the same time), and career autonomy, whether you are building a practice or supplementing one.

U.S. licensed attorneys admitted to practice in at least one state and in good standing. This is a hard gate at registration.

You confirm your email, verify your identity with a government ID through Persona, and LAWCLERK staff confirm your bar license with the issuing jurisdiction. Only then does your profile appear.

A guided checklist walks you through your profile. Verifying identity unlocks the job board; completing the core profile (practice areas, history, writing samples, rate) unlocks applying.

Filter opportunities on your dashboard by practice area, rate, and work type, or browse jobs matched to your profile.

Yes. One account can do both: verify once and switch between hiring and working.

Yes. Choose the company account type during Stripe onboarding and provide your EIN, business name, and documentation.

A longer-term engagement with weekly pay for hours logged, sized to the firm's workload. The firm sets a maximum weekly hours cap so billing stays predictable.

The posted hourly rate, or the rate you propose when applying. Your profile also carries a rate range so firms can find you at your price.

Log hours contemporaneously by Sunday 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Timecards go to the firm Monday; undisputed amounts pay out the following Monday by direct deposit, typically landing within two business days.

Add them to the following week's timecard. Contemporaneous logging is the rule; it keeps billing accurate and disputes rare.

Hours above the weekly maximum need the firm's written approval in advance; only approved overtime is paid.

Tell the hiring attorney first, then email vabilling@lawclerk.legal or your advisor to close out the engagement cleanly.

A one-time assignment at a fixed fee: a brief, a motion, a research memo. Timelines run from a couple of days to a month; a week or two is typical.

Review the deadline, scope, and price, then apply with a short note on why you fit. You can accept the posted fee or propose your own, up to 100% above the posted rate.

Send a first note to confirm scope, deadlines, and preferred communication. Clarity up front is what turns one project into a repeat relationship.

Upload the final draft through the documents tab and submit your timecard. The firm has a 96-hour review window (extendable once); the escrowed fee then releases, reaching your account within about eight days of final submission.

Discuss revisions directly; quality issues are resolved between the parties. Formal disputes cover scope and deadlines and must be raised before payment releases.

Notify the firm immediately, and contact support@lawclerk.legal if you cannot reach them.

Yes, as long as there are no conflicts of interest. Many associates run several engagements at once.

Yes, where the hiring firm's professional liability insurance covers you and the ethics rules of the jurisdiction are satisfied. Confirm both before agreeing.

Complete every profile section with a photo and specific, detailed experience; add writing samples; leave a short tailored note on each application. Attorneys with video introductions receive about twice as many hiring invitations.

Only in compliance with the rules of professional conduct: the hiring attorney must authorize it, use must be disclosed, and billed time must remain reasonable and non-duplicative.

Great outcome, and it goes through a LAWCLERK buyout: $15,000 for direct hires and engagements up to 6 months, $10,000 after 7 to 12 months, $7,500 after a year, with half credited back to the firm's account.

The non-circumvention clause applies: the greater of 30% of annual salary or $15,000, with both parties jointly liable. Keep the work on the platform.

Opt in, add a photo, keep your rates and recent work current, and write a bio with practice-area depth. First impressions in the directory work like first impressions anywhere.

LAWCLERK's team proactively connects associates to matching opportunities. A complete profile and active applying make you far more visible to it.

Firms message you to gauge interest or schedule interviews, with dashboard and email notifications. Treat every thread like an interview: lead with your most relevant experience.

Firms save trusted associates into teams for repeat work. Deliver well once and you get invited back automatically, without competing in an open posting.

Engagement hubs are encrypted at rest (AES-256 on AWS Server Side Encryption); administrators cannot read confidential engagement content, and payment data lives with Stripe.

Yes, in all 50 states. The engagement structure keeps the hiring firm as supervising attorney of record; the UPL Ethics Whitepaper has the full analysis.

Violations, including off-platform work without a buyout, repeated missed deadlines, or unprofessional conduct, bring probation (typically six months) or termination.