Consultant Legal Executive Tracy Smallbones specialises in residential property and came to Setfords from a top 20 international law firm. For someone used to working at that level, flexibility had to come without compromise. Setfords offered exactly that: a consultancy model built around her professional standards, with the technology and support infrastructure to match.
For Tracy, the freedom to structure her own day is what makes the Setfords model work. In her own words, that freedom looks something like this. Tracy says:
‘I love having the ability to have complete control over my time. I can ride my horse in the middle of the day or meet friends for coffee mid morning. The technology available means that I can work from anywhere, I have even taken client calls from the back of my horse’
It is a working life that looks very different to a traditional employed role. As for what keeps her productive through it all, Tracy is clear.
“I find that I am driven by wishing to offer the best client experience possible.”
Coming from a top 20 international law firm, Tracy’s expectations of a support structure were high. What she found at Setfords matched them.
“Excellent accounts team, admin team and consultant support teams.”
Behind every Setfords consultant is a team of 190+ in-office staff covering admin, secretarial, compliance, IT, marketing and wellbeing, all included within the fee share with no hidden costs. For a residential property specialist like Tracy, having a robust compliance team on hand is particularly valuable. Conveyancing is a high-risk area of law and knowing that support is there when it is needed means she can give her full attention to her clients and their matters.
Before joining, Tracy had one main concern: would she generate enough work on her own? It is a worry many prospective consultants share. At Setfords, the answer lies in the flexibility of the model itself.
“I can take matters on or pass them to another consultant to regulate how busy I wish to be.”
That control extends to earnings too. The more Tracy bills, the greater the share she takes home, and the workload that drives that is entirely in her hands. For those building their caseload from scratch, Setfords’ Business Development Team generates thousands of leads each month, getting to know each consultant when they join to make sure the work coming in is the right fit.
For anyone weighing up a similar move, Tracy’s advice is straightforward. Bring experience, believe in yourself, and don’t hesitate.
“Provided you are sufficiently experienced then it is definitely the right move, far, far better than being employed.”
If Tracy’s story sounds familiar, we would love to hear from you. Find out more about life as a Setfords consultant and discover what a career at Setfords could look like for you.
