Philadelphia Legal Staffing and Recruiting

Why Hire a Legal Staffing and Recruiting Company for Temporary Lawyers?

Philadelphia is a city known for innovation. Several companies headquartered in Philly have made the Fortune 500 list, which is a fact that's attracting startups and budding entrepreneurs looking for their own slice of the American pie. But before you can enjoy this level of success, you need to get your small business off the ground.

Unfortunately, hiring another full-time employee to enhance your company is expensive, and fledgling businesses don't have the budget or time necessary to staff in-house counsel or their own legal department. This is where turning to a legal staffing and recruiting company for top temporary lawyers can help.

Outsourcing the selection process spares you the cost of finding and attracting the best attorneys in Philadelphia. You simply choose from the legal staffing company's existing talent pool based on your pressing legal need. These candidates come from prestigious law schools with experienced backgrounds and the know-how to handle whatever your business requires, from those first real estate transactions to corporate governance and restricting issues.

What Can a Temporary Lawyer Do for an In-House Legal Department or Law Firm?

Philadelphia companies might hire a temporary attorney for several reasons. For example, a digital tech company may need to secure its intellectual property (IP) rights without losing precious capital on an in-house legal team. A legal staffing and recruiting company provides the best IP contract attorneys that can tackle your case with proven experience.

In addition, a temporary lawyer can do a range of work for your company or existing in-house law department, including:

• Handling excess workload
• Lowering company overhead by reducing the need for full-time staff members
• Reviewing and drafting contracts
• Supplement an in-house lawyer's subject matter knowledge
• Provide litigation support during lawsuits
• Allow the company to take on large-scale projects without hiring more staff
• Minimize payroll costs and employment liability
• Help with M&A due diligence
• Assist with IP licensing
• Prosecute patent and trademark violations

There are many areas where a temporary lawyer can provide helpful legal support. Especially when your business is new and you lack capital, contract lawyers work on a case-by-case basis to satisfy your pressing needs. Once the job is done, you go your separate ways — unless you would like to hire the same lawyer again in the future.

How to Interview and Hire a Temporary Lawyer?

One of the benefits of getting a temporary lawyer through a legal staffing and recruiting company is that someone else does all the legwork for you. The company vets every attorney, reviewing his or her educational background and experience. You, however, just need to interview the attorney yourself to find out whether you're a good match.

Start the interview by asking the attorney why he or she is working on a temporary basis? Do they already have a part-time job somewhere else? Or have they relocated recently? Have they ever worked full-time at a law firm?

You should also ask about specific knowledge related to the field in which you need legal help. For instance, if you're hiring a contract lawyer to help patent your invention, see if he or she has IP experience with similar types of products. What about conflicts of interest, such as previously working with a competitor?

Other basic questions to ask include expected hourly or flat-fee rates, which law school they attended, and whether he or she is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association. The more thorough your questions during the interview process, the more confident you can be that you've hired the right temporary attorney for your team.