• How it works

    The flexible solution

    Lawyers On Demand (LOD) provides a way to flex the size of your legal team just when you need it. It is a unique resourcing solution when you are facing cost pressures, a mounting workload or other resourcing challenges.

    The LOD service comprises a team of more than 100 high quality, flexible lawyers who will provide your business with a premium legal resource without the fixed cost overhead. They work directly with you on a contract basis, either at your offices or remotely.

    LOD is an innovation from leading international law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP). Our team of freelance lawyers are supported by BLP, with access to all of BLP's know-how and training. So LOD is able to provide a service which combines the commercial approach and flexibility of an in-house resource with the support and quality assurance of a major law firm.

    Examples of recent projects include a full-time position on a rolling monthly basis to deal with business-as-usual matters, a part-time assignment for four months, remote work to support a special client project and a full-time year long maternity cover. Many clients use the service to reduce the cost of existing outsourced services, others to guarantee high-quality interim lawyers.

    The process

    1. 1.

      We listen and discuss your requirements

    2. 2.

      We identify LOD lawyers with the right experience to meet your needs

    3. 3.

      You meet the selected lawyers

    4. 4.

      We agree the best working model and a fixed daily or weekly rate

    More for less

    Although work volumes are increasing, many clients are coming under pressure to reduce costs. All LOD fees are agreed in advance and are based on daily, weekly or monthly rates which reflect the expertise of the lawyer and the resource required.

    The quality of our lawyers and our innovative pricing structure together mean we can provide a highly cost-effective solution. Feedback shows that our clients enjoy the inherent flexibility to choose whether to internally allocate cost to ‘legal services’ budget or ‘headcount’ budget as their own business needs dictate.

    There are no additional employment costs which means you are not, for example, liable to pay any agency introduction fees, holiday pay or sickness pay. Included in the agreed rate is access to all of the know how and associated support provided by BLP, a key advantage over other options.

  • Quality and support

    Berwin Leighton Paisner quality

    LOD is an innovation from leading international law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP). BLP won the prestigious Law Firm of the Year Award in 2010 from both The Lawyer and The British Legal Awards for its creativity in providing quality legal services.

    We have developed a bespoke selection and induction process for our LOD lawyers to ensure that we are recruiting the very best and that the lawyers in the team are fully equipped to provide a high quality service. Every LOD lawyer will have spent time with BLP undergoing a specially developed induction programme prior to being placed on assignment.

    Throughout each assignment we are in regular contact with you to evaluate progress. During their time with you, each LOD lawyer has access to our extensive knowledge management system, including the support of our Knowledge Development Lawyers, and access to all BLP training.

    Feedback from our clients has been excellent. LOD services a range of high-profile clients across multiple industries and legal disciplines. Example clients include Orange, Gucci, Sky, UBS and Cisco.

    Our team of LOD lawyers continues to grow in size and specialisation. LOD has been widely acclaimed, winning awards from the Financial Times and The Lawyer as well as being shortlisted for numerous others, including from The Law Society, Legal Business and The British Legal Awards.

    Motivated lawyers doing something different

    Our LOD lawyers are all highly skilled lawyers looking for alternative ways of working without compromising their career satisfaction and development. They are talented and motivated and have all trained or worked at top tier law firms or major in-house legal teams. They wish to progress their legal careers without sacrificing their other priorities, whether family, travel or creative or entrepreneurial pursuits.

    The ability of our lawyers to balance their other priorities with quality legal assignments results in focused and pro-active individuals who enjoy their legal work. We believe that happy, motivated individuals are the best people to work in your team. This is recognised by our clients, the majority of whom extend assignments beyond the original brief and use LOD for multiple assignments.

  • Case studies

    Client: Financial Times

    The Financial Times (FT) is one of the world’s leading business information organisations, providing a broad range of business news and multimedia services internationally. As the FT developed within the changing media environment, work levels of the legal team grew. The FT’s General Counsel looked to LOD to make available senior-level legal input on site at FT’s London headquarters.

    Before becoming an LOD lawyer, Dan Guildford worked at Pinsent Masons, Dewey & LeBoeuf and Vue Cinemas. He is an avid fan of stand up comedy and Shrewsbury Town football club. He is aware there's quite an overlap between the two.

    Client said:

    I was able to call on LOD at a time when I needed to add a senior team member quickly to manage a number of specific projects. At the time, I was not ready to add a new employee and the work involved did not lend itself easily to traditional outsourcing due to the need for close, daily interaction with our business. Our LOD lawyer, Dan, made the process easy due to his ability to understand our legal requirements and deliver them. I was confident bringing Dan into the team due to the backing I knew he had from BLP as part of the service.

    - Tim Bratton, General counsel, The Financial Times
    LOD lawyer said:

    The assignment with the FT is a great example of how LOD allows its lawyers to fulfil career aspirations for quality interesting work working for a worldwide brand whilst bringing back some balance to legal life. Through LOD I gained autonomy over how I worked and yet had access to cutting-edge projects. The backing of a respected firm and the support of the LOD HQ team helped me to perform work at the highest level.

    - Dan Guildford
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    Client: Orange UK

    We were asked by Orange to support them in the launch of their mobile TV project. As a result of other projects and staff departures, Orange did not have an in-house lawyer whom it was able to assign to the project and wanted to minimise the cost of outsourced legal services. We offered Darren Heath from the LOD team to work in-house at Orange’s offices. He was, like all LOD lawyers, supported by BLP’s knowledge management, training and technology.

    As well as more than ten years’ experience as a commercial and TMT lawyer, LOD lawyer Darren Heath has previously worked as a writer and presenter for Legal Network Television and as a professional support lawyer. LOD offers Darren the opportunity to combine his legal career with a passion for film making and running his own production company.

    Client said:

    Our LOD lawyer has been a great asset and has been highly rated by his internal clients. I’d like to thank you. Our goals were achieved by LOD through getting expertise in a specific area of law. We would certainly use LOD again. It was excellent value for money.

    - Colin Caldwell, Director of corporate Legal services, Orange UK
    LOD lawyer said:

    I thoroughly enjoy being part of the LOD team. I was immediately offered an assignment ideally suited to my experience and interests, and which fitted in with my other commitments, and this has provided the opportunity of being involved in innovative and exciting projects, working directly day-to-day with the client. It offers a unique opportunity to practise law in-house with the back-up of a major international firm, and on terms that allow the pursuit of other projects.

    - Darren Heath
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  • FAQs

    FAQs

    Here are some frequently asked questions about how Lawyers On Demand (LOD) works for our
    in-house clients. If you think the service may be useful to you, please contact us on info@lod.co.uk or call us on 020 3400 4200.

    Download PDF
    1. What is LOD for in-house?

    LOD is a different resourcing option for clients looking for a way to radically reduce the cost of outsourced legal services. It comprises a flexible team of high quality freelance lawyers working directly with you on a contract basis (at your offices or remotely), supported throughout by BLP. We have received consistently positive feedback from clients who find the service an effective solution to balance legal resourcing needs with budgetary constraints.

    2. Who is using LOD for in-house?

    LOD clients include both blue-chip organisations and smaller growth companies. Examples of clients we are currently working with include telecoms network operators, publishers, banks and software businesses. Overwhelmingly, we find that clients return to LOD for solutions to their on-going legal resourcing needs.

    3. What is the benefit to my organisation?

    Organisations requiring in-house legal services are coming under increasing cost and resourcing pressures, whether resulting from recruitment freezes, maternity leave, staff departures, special projects or the cyclical nature of day-to-day legal work. LOD offers pre-vetted, high quality, freelance lawyers available to work on a flexible basis, supported throughout by BLP’s knowledge management, professional support and training. The previous experience and high calibre of our lawyers mean that they can slot swiftly and seamlessly into your team, with a speed and effectiveness of integration that can often be superior to a traditional secondment or locum arrangement.

    4. What is the cost of the service?

    All LOD fees are agreed with clients in advance based on a fixed daily rate that reflects the expertise of the lawyer. Please contact us to discuss rates further.

    Clients have told us that they appreciate the inherent flexibility to choose whether to allocate cost internally to ‘legal services’ budget or ‘headcount’ budget as their own business needs dictate.

    There are no additional employment costs which means that you are not, for example, liable to pay any agency introduction fees, holiday pay or sickness pay. Included in the daily rate is access to all of the know how and associated support provided by BLP, which is one of the unique features of LOD and a key advantage over other options.

    5. What are the working models?

    There are two models on which LOD works:

    1. Contracted model. This is the most common model for LOD. There are pre-agreed days where the LOD lawyer will make themselves exclusively available to your in-house legal team. This may be full time or for certain days of the week or between specific dates.

    2. Flexible model. This is work carried out by the LOD lawyer on a more flexible basis, for example working for a few days per month with additional hours as needed. This work is charged at a daily rate with hourly rates for any additional work that you agree.

    6. What is the process for vetting lawyers for quality?

    We have developed a bespoke selection and induction programme to ensure that the lawyers in the team are fully equipped to provide a service of the highest quality. Our lawyers have all trained or worked at top-tier law firms or as part of major in-house legal teams. We carry out a careful interview procedure, including technical tests. The lawyers also spend time with BLP undergoing an induction programme prior to any assignment. Once on assignment, they continue to be supported by BLP’s training, professional support and knowledge management services.

    7. How does LOD monitor the service?

    The quality of service to clients is paramount to us. During each assignment, we have regular dialogue with both you and the LOD lawyer you have chosen, together with more formal regular feedback sessions. Of course, we are always available should you need to discuss an issue urgently.

    8. What is the relationship between the parties?

    You contract with LOD at the beginning of each assignment. This direct relationship will allow us to best manage payment and liability issues, with the LOD lawyer acting as a consultant to us. As a result, you have the reassurance that we are providing the continuity and quality required.

    9. Why do some lawyers wish to work this way?

    LOD allows lawyers to work flexibly (whether part or full-time) on a project-by-project basis. The lawyers trade the certainty and rigidity of employee status for a flexible way of working which matches their requirements. It appeals to high quality qualified lawyers who wish to have more control over their lifestyle without compromising their career satisfaction and development. Clients have reported that they find the lawyers in the team to be particularly pro-active and motivated as a result of this way of working.

    10. Will I be able to meet the lawyer before the assignment begins?

    Yes. It is important that we place the right lawyer into the right assignment and we encourage you to get involved in the process. After you brief us we will carefully select one or two suitable LOD lawyers for you to meet.

    11. Where will the lawyer be located?

    From the outset there is flexibility as to where the lawyer is based. Options include working from your offices or from home, as dictated by your business needs.