FAQ · Hourly Associate
How ongoing hourly help works, from the evergreen retainer and weekly timecards to overtime, disputes, and buyouts. No minimum commitment, pay only for the hours logged.
Hourly Associate lets you hire the exact amount of help your firm needs, when you need it. You select a verified Remote Associate for ongoing hourly work, fund an evergreen retainer, and pay only for the hours logged. See the full overview on the Hourly Associate page.
Subscription engagements are longer-term commitments of set monthly hours with deeper firm integration, and they let the associate practice law under your supervision. Hourly Associate is more flexible: you work with a Remote Associate for a limited period, with no minimum commitment.
A Remote Associate is a freelance attorney, sometimes called a contract lawyer or virtual associate, who works for a hiring attorney on an independent contractor basis. Every one is verified before appearing on the marketplace.
Any written work: legal research, drafting motions, briefs, contracts, and memos, plus document review and discovery. Hourly Associate suits overflow work and complex matters where you want an extra set of hands week to week.
No. Remote Associates working through Hourly Associate do not speak with your clients, cover depositions, or make court appearances, since those tasks would have them practicing law. They support you behind the scenes.
No. There is no minimum commitment for Hourly Associate. You can conclude the engagement at any time with written notice and have any remaining retainer balance refunded or credited.
When you post a job you provide the area of law, a description of the work, your estimated length of engagement, expected monthly hours, a maximum weekly hours cap, preferred experience level, the hourly rate you will pay, and any timezone, bar licensure, or language preferences, plus one screening question.
It helps applicants confirm they have the availability you need before they apply to work with you.
The monthly estimate helps applicants confirm they have the capacity to take on your work before applying.
The weekly maximum gives you peace of mind that you will not be surprised by a large bill, and it tells applicants how much capacity you need in any given week.
A built-in conflict check lets you screen for conflicts with a Remote Associate before you are matched, so you can clear each engagement up front.
The retainer is the greater of $2,000 or your maximum weekly hours multiplied by the hourly rate you set. It is evergreen and reloads as work is paid.
Every Monday. If you do not assign any work in a given week, you are not charged and there is nothing to replenish.
You set the hourly rate when you post the job to the marketplace, so you stay in control of your budget.
Your initial retainer is charged when you get started. Timecards are emailed each Monday, and you have until Friday to review or dispute them. Undisputed hours pay the associate and replenish your retainer the following Monday.
Payments are collected by credit card, and you can update or change your card at any time.
Your dashboard shows the weekly maximum alongside current-week, current-month, and prior-month hours, and a downloadable timecard is emailed to you every Monday.
Approve overtime in advance by emailing VAbilling@lawclerk.legal. Only overtime you have approved in writing is paid.
Then you are not charged. Hourly Associate is built to be flexible and pay as you go, so quiet weeks cost you nothing.
Because Hourly Associate work does not have the associate practicing law, the Remote Associate is not required to carry independent professional liability coverage. You remain responsible for the work, so confirm your own policy covers it.
Yes. You can run as many Hourly Associate opportunities as your firm needs, across experience levels or practice areas.
Your retainer can be transferred to a different associate quickly. Contact your dedicated LAWCLERK advisor or email VAbilling@lawclerk.legal.
Email VAbilling@lawclerk.legal to request closure and copy your Remote Associate. Once the engagement is closed and final payment clears, any remaining retainer balance is refunded or credited to a new opportunity.
Timecards go out Monday morning and any dispute is due by Friday. Disputes cover hours logged, not work quality, and consensual resolutions between you and the associate are strongly encouraged. Anything unresolved is reviewed and decided within five business days.
Yes, through a buyout executed with LAWCLERK. The buyout fee is the greater of 30% of the associate's estimated annual compensation or $10,000. Working together off-platform without a buyout violates the terms.