Australia's fastest growing legal secondments marketplace

FAQs for law firms and companies

• Screening processes, employment status and permanent hires

  Who interviews Lawmee’s lawyers/paralegals to ensure we are hiring best in class?

  We take quality very seriously. All Lawmee lawyers/paralegals are interviewed and screened by one of Australia’s leading legal recruitment teams. Once they begin taking on assignments with our clients, we conduct reviews of their performance at the end of each engagement which determines who remains on the platform.

  Did you know that all lawyers on the Lawmee platform undergo a screening process prior to being approved and allowed onto the Lawmee platform?

  All lawyers have been interviewed by one of Australia's leading legal recruitment teams. To date, only 42% of lawyers applying have made it through Lawmee's screening process. References are generally completed prior to the commencement of any engagement to ensure we do everything we can to provide you with quality lawyers. As a marketplace, it is then for you to ensure each lawyer selected is the right fit for your company or law firm.

  What is the employment status of Lawmee’s lawyers and paralegals?

  Lawyers and paralegals are generally employed as casual employees and are generally paid through payroll with PAYG and superannuation. Some lawyers choose to work through their own legal entities and cover their own superannuation and insurances etc. If we employ people as casual employees, we are responsible for their PAYG, superannuation and legal professional indemnity insurance.

  Can I offer permanent roles to lawyers/paralegals who are completing assignments?

  Absolutely! We simply charge a transfer conversion fee and you can choose to move them across at any time during or after the engagement.

• Type and length of assignments, daily/hourly rates and payment terms

  How long are the typical placements and assignments?

  Each placement and assignment depends on the client’s requirements. Some of our clients are looking for ad hoc legal support and like to know they have another reliable pair of hands when they hit capacity. Many clients use our platform to cover parental leave, assist during busy times, engage specialist lawyers for projects or cover annual leave. Projects can be anything from one day through to longer fixed term contract roles.

  How do daily/hourly rates work?

  Our team of lawyers and consultants are legal recruitment experts. We work with you to set daily/hourly rates that are competitive and then help you to find the best possible lawyers/paralegals. The total daily/hourly rates include our insurance/admin costs and recruitment fees in recruiting the best people for the job. Please feel free to reach out to our team if you’d like to discuss this with us.

  What are the standard working hours?

  Our daily rates are based on 7.5 hour days and charged to clients at the agreed standard rate. You can determine when the hours will be worked on a case-by-case basis (for greater flexibility). Any additional work will be charged at the agreed overtime rate, as long as the overtime work has been agreed and approved by you – so there are no surprises. You can also engage lawyers/paralegals on hourly rates in choosing the engagement structure that best suits your needs.

  What are your payment terms?

  The vast majority of our clients choose 14 day or 30 day payment terms. Choosing these terms means we can provide clients with significant cost savings. We can consider longer payment terms on a case-by-case basis, but please note we’re self-funded and most of our clients are major companies and huge law firms. We can’t provide the same cost savings to clients who ask for longer payment term arrangements. So you can choose the payment terms and pricing that suit you!

• Supervision, insurance, confidentiality, conflict checks and charging lawyers out to your clients

  Do we need to supervise lawyers and paralegals?

  Yes. You’ll need to have a lawyer in your organisation who is qualified to supervise their work and provide a safe workplace. You’ll confirm you’re happy with the work completed by the lawyer/paralegal and satisfied there have been no OHS incidents, along the way. If you have any issues with the quality of work or there is a potential OHS incident, you’ll need to communicate this to Lawmee as soon as possible.

  My company or law firm doesn’t have any qualified lawyers. Can I engage a Lawmee lawyer or paralegal?

  Our lawyers are generally qualified and therefore regulated by the rules of the relevant Legal Practice Board. Their admission details are generally noted on their profiles for your review as part of the selection process. Lawmee does not provide the same professional indemnity insurance as a law firm and we do not guarantee the quality of the advice/work lawyers or paralegals provide, noting they will work under the supervision of a lawyer within your organisation. If, for a particular task or project, you need a high level of professional indemnity insurance, then we would recommend engaging a law firm which may come at a higher cost. Lawmee paralegals generally do not come with professional indemnity insurance so they need to be properly supervised and their work reviewed by a suitably experienced lawyer in your team.

  Is Lawmee a law firm?

  Lawmee is a platform that connects lawyers/paralegals with law firms and companies. We are set up as an incorporated legal practice for the purposes of providing professional indemnity insurance to lawyers/paralegals to complete assignments under the supervision of our clients.

  How do conflict checks and confidentiality work?

  Lawyers, paralegals and clients agree to a confidentiality clause when they sign up to work through Lawmee. Clients may choose to ask the lawyer or paralegal to sign an NDA before starting their assignment. Clients are responsible for completing any required conflict checks prior to lawyers/paralegals commencing an assignment.

  I am a law firm. Can I charge out Lawmee lawyers and paralegals to my clients?

  You sure can. Law firms can charge their clients for a lawyer or paralegal’s time. This is all part of our model and allows law firms to scale their teams up and down profitably to complete client work, as and when you need to. You can supervise and charge them out in line with your business model.

• Can members of the public engage our lawyers and paralegals?
  Unfortunately not. All of our clients are law firms and companies.
• I have an Opportunity that is outside of Lawmee’s current parameters. Can Lawmee help?
  We’ll certainly try our best. Please contact our team and we’ll see if there’s a lawyer/paralegal in our networks who meets your brief.