What My Law Career Taught Me about Freelance Writing

When I was a practicing corporate lawyer and dreamed of getting into freelance writing, I didn’t think that the two worlds had much in common. Sure, I knew that both jobs required a good deal of reading, researching and writing. But apart from that fundamental skill set, I imagined that with the ditching of my high heels, dark suits, and litigation bag, I would be leaving behind many of professional rules and practices that shaped my life.

Wrong. After I got over the I’ll-write-all-day-in-my-PJs fantasy, and realized that a successful freelance career involves much more than writing, I saw that my legal experience taught me extremely valuable lessons about running a freelance business (not to mention that it financed my start-up). Here are 5 key lessons that I learned:

Get it in writing

Lawyers, especially litigators, are a paranoid bunch. We always think any business transaction is destined to go horribly wrong and so prepare for the worst. For this reason many of us put even the most casual verbal agreements (related to business) in writing. There’s no need for a formal contract for every small issue. But I never have a telephone conversation with a client without immediately following it up with an email that sketches out the client’s requirements, agreements reached, and any other relevant points. Same goes for sources: if I write an article containing a direct quote that came from an oral conversation, I toss off an email to the source to confirm that my understanding of her words was correct before sending off the finished article to the editor.

Although the practice of getting everything in writing creates extra work, it can help avoid misunderstandings down the line – and, of course, a paper trail can be useful evidence of your understanding in the unlikely event something does go horribly wrong.

Understand your duty

Many people have the mistaken impression that a lawyer’s duty is to fight for Truth and Justice. But that’s not so. A lawyer’s paramount duty is to obtain the best result for her client through legal and ethical means. Personal objectives and feelings are irrelevant. Understanding my duty as a lawyer has helped me to understand my duty as a freelancer. Although I write because I love it and can’t imagine not doing it, I always keep in mind that the work I do for clients is not for my own pleasure. It is this philosophy that pushes me through boring article assignments and demanding edits. In the broadest sense, my job is to write on the topics that my clients want, in their preferred style.

Being a lawyer has helped me to understand my job as a freelancer in a more narrow sense as well. While my ultimate duty as a lawyer was to serve the client, as an associate in a law firm, my day-to-day duty was to simplify the job of the partners for whom I worked. I had to anticipate their needs and make sure that they spent as little time as possible reviewing or correcting my work. Similarly, as a freelancer, my job is to simplify the job of my client. As a writer, I can do that by providing the editor with near-perfect copy, coming up with fresh story angles, and, when presenting a story idea, leaving little to her imagination without intruding too much on her time.

Keep Meticulous Time Records

Except for those lawyers who work in-house or on a contingency basis, most lawyers bill clients for every six minutes of time spent on a matter. When I left my law job, I was kicking up my heels at the thought of not having to keeping track of billable hours. And while it’s true that as a freelancer I don’t have to look at the clock every six minutes, monitoring the time I spend on projects is not a thing of the past. Even if you’re not being paid by the hour, taking note of how long it takes to complete an assignment helps you to comprehend how you spend your time, where you need to step up the pace a little, which gigs are not cost-effective, and where you’re making good money.

Be Responsive

The first law firm for which I worked put the fear of God into young lawyers about promptly returning phone calls and emails. Even if it was just a quick call or note to say “let me get back to you shortly,” we associates had to return all phone calls and emails on the day they were received or face a partner’s unholy wrath. Clients know that they’re not your only client – but they like to be made to feel as if they were. As a freelancer, I employ the same philosophy and same deadline. (Although as a freelance writer who sends out queries that editors don’t even bother to reject, I’ve had to get over the idea that people will be responsive to me.)

“No” is not an option

I read with interest the text and comments on the recent article, When Do You Say No to a Client? When I was practicing law, I never heard a partner say ‘no’ to a client. Sure, sometimes we told clients that they weren’t legally able to do something they wanted to do, or we had to engage in some subtle persuasion to make a client’s demand more reasonable. But, whenever there was a task that we had the potential to perform, the answer was always a cool “of course.” This wasn’t just with new clients but old ones as well. The firm liked to maintain the image that it could accomplish anything (and since there were more than 500 lawyers there – it pretty much could).

With this particular work ethic drilled into me, I have yet to say ‘no’ to a client. As when I practiced law, I am ready and willing to do all kinds of backflips and superhero-type antics to somehow get the work done and get it done right. But also like my former law firm – and here’s one other thing I learned from practicing law– I’ll be sure to make the client pay for the privilege of working with a superhero.

What have you learned from your day job or former full-time position that has helped you in your freelance career?