Freshfields pushes on value as contract lawyer venture goes live

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has officially launched its much-touted contract lawyer initiative, which will see the firm draw on its 3,500-strong pool of former fee earners for additional staffing during busy periods.

The scheme – dubbed 'Freshworker' during development but now named Freshfields Continuum – was launched earlier this month, two years after it was first discussed.

The project promises to be the City giant's most striking response to client demands for improved value and one of the most ambitious attempts by a major law firm to commercially leverage its alumni network.

The initiative will see the firm draft in ex-Freshfields lawyers on an ad hoc basis to provide part or full-time support on specific projects.

All candidates will be put through an interview with the firm's human resources (HR) team and a relevant partner before being added to the Freshfields Continuum database. Pay will be set at one of four bands – junior, mid-level, senior and partner – which will correspond to their status when they left the firm.

Accepted applicants will be permitted to apply for work on projects below their level of experience; however, they will only be paid in accordance with the rate of the position advertised. The firm expects individual assignments to last no more than six months.

The news comes after the magic circle law firm pushed back the launch of the initiative at the end of last year, choosing instead to focus on other internal issues such as flexible working and its new associate milestone system.

The firm plans to review the scheme in six months' time, at which point a decision will be taken over whether it should be rolled out further to include the firm's international network.

Freshfields global HR director Kevin Hogarth (pictured) commented: "We have been looking to launch this project for the last couple of years, but it has obviously taken a tremendous amount of work to ensure that we could create a clear and thorough system for its operation. After carrying out a pilot we now feel we have the relevant practices in place to make this work efficiently for both the firm and the client.

"We have asked partners to think about whether there are people who they would particularly wish to approach and have advertised it on our alumni website."

Members of Freshfields Continuum will be permitted to register for other contract lawyer networks, such as Berwin Leighton Paisner's Lawyers on Demand business; however, candidates cannot carry out work for any other body when active on a Freshfields project.

There is no target for the number of candidates Freshfields is aiming to sign up, but the firm currently has an alumni network of around 4,000, of which 3,500 are fee earners.

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