Kate Hawken is a consultant property solicitor based in Kent, specialising in leasehold enfranchisement and conveyancing. She has 25 years’ experience and joined Setfords in 2021. Law is Kate’s second career: she worked as a florist for a number of years before retraining. We caught up with her to talk about making the move to
60 Seconds With A Consultant: Kate Hawken – Consultant Property Solicitor Read More »
Sonal Rabheru is a senior property consultant solicitor based in the Guildford area. She handles all aspects of residential conveyancing, from freehold and leasehold purchases to transfers and remortgages. Sonal joined Setfords in 2019, having previously been a salaried partner at another firm. We caught up with her to talk about making the move. What
60 seconds with a consultant: Sonal Rabheru – Senior Property Consultant Solicitor Read More »
Varsha Shah is a licensed conveyancer who has specialised in residential property for more than 30 years. She joined Setfords as a consultant in July 2025, after deciding she wanted the flexibility to work on her own terms. We caught up with Varsha to talk about making the move. What made you leave traditional practice?
60 Seconds With A Consultant: Varsha Shah – Consultant Licensed Conveyancer Read More »
Summary: Platform law is a law firm business model where solicitors work as self-employed consultants under the umbrella of a regulated law firm. They use it’s support infrastructure, compliance, insurance, and brand while keeping control of their own clients, hours, and earnings. It’s a structural alternative to the traditional partnership model, and it’s one of
Setfords, the UK’s largest platform law firm, has been shortlisted in five categories at the 2026 Legal Geek Leaders in Tech Law Awards as the firm continues to receive recognition for a series of major technology products it has launched this year. Setfords is shortlisted for: The firm is shortlisted for Best Bespoke Legal Technology Development for
Article summary: You don’t need to wait until you’re eligible for consultancy to start preparing for it. The lawyers who make the smoothest transition are well prepared with a few key skills, including building client relationships, developing a specialism, being comfortable with the business side of law, generating a professional network beyond their own firm,
Junior Lawyers Preparing for Consultancy: What to Focus On Now Read More »
Article summary: Moving to consultancy means moving away from the built-in social structure of office life. However, it doesn’t mean you need to feel isolated. Building both a professional network and a personal support system in your first year matters just as much as building your client base, so you can thrive both professionally and
Building Your Support Network as a Consultant Solicitor Read More »
Article summary: Marketing as a consultant doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you find the prospect of promoting yourself uncomfortable, a handful of consistent habits, including being visible, easy to find, and easy to recommend, do most of the work for you. However, if you enjoy marketing, there’s plenty of room to be more proactive
Article Summary: Your first year as a consultant solicitor isn’t about doing everything at once. The core things to prepare for are: a short adjustment period while invoicing and cash flow find their rhythm, a realistic (not overwhelming) approach to generating work, honing in on marketing activity that builds over time, and making sure you have a support network in place so consultancy doesn’t mean
Article Summary: You don’t need an existing client following to make consultancy work, and you don’t need to become a natural salesperson overnight either. Most lawyers already have a stronger foundation than they realise, in the form of relationships, referrals, and reputation built over years of practice. For those with a smaller existing network, business development can still be built
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Article Summary: Building your consultancy practice to where you want it to be can take a little time. For many coming from traditional employed roles, income may dip briefly when you first start, before it climbs. You don’t need a large lump sum in the bank to manage this. A flexible, gradually-built buffer and a realistic sense of your own cash flow matter more than a specific number. There’s no single right way to price
We’re a people business – so why did we spend the better part of three years, and a few million pounds, building our own software? Chris Setford, co-CEO of Setfords, on the road to rolling out Halo, and why a law firm decided to become a technology company too. Let me start where we always start, long before we get
UK’s largest platform law firm has moved all 650 of its consultant lawyers onto a system it designed and built itself. Setfords has launched Halo, what the firm calls a legal intelligence platform – combining case, accounts and practice management – that it designed and built in-house. Halo is now used by every one of
Setfords has been confirmed as the UK’s largest fee-share law firm by lawyer headcount in the Codex Edge Platform Firms Report 2026. The report, the most comprehensive independent analysis of the platform sector, shows Setfords ended 2025 with 653 consultant lawyers, the highest of any platform firm operating on a pure fee-share model. The firm has grown its consultant
Setfords confirmed as UK’s largest platform law firm Read More »
Setfords has been shortlisted for UK Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2026 – the only platform firm on the category shortlist. The ten shortlisted firms are: Addleshaw Goddard, Brodies, Hill Dickinson, Macfarlanes, Mills & Reeve, Pinsent Masons, Setfords, Stephenson Harwood, Taylor Wessing and TLT. The shortlisting follows a standout year for the firm. Setfords
Setfords shortlisted for UK Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2026 Read More »
No. Setfords does not charge a joining fee. What You Will Need to Pay The only upfront cost when joining is a refundable deposit for your hardware: Both deposits are fully refundable on return of the equipment in full working order. For more detail on the hardware Setfords provides, take a look at our guide to what
Consultants at Setfords are expected to have the appropriate level of experience to work independently. This is one of the reasons we require a minimum of 5 years’ post-qualification experience before joining, as covered in our guide to experience requirements. Compliance Support and File Reviews Working independently doesn’t mean working without support. Our compliance team is on hand to
Getting set up as a consultant solicitor doesn’t require a significant hardware investment. Here’s what you’ll need to provide yourself, and what Setfords takes care of. What You Need to Provide You’ll need to have the following in place before you go live: What Setfords Provides Setfords provides a desk phone as standard, along with an optional dictaphone. Our IT team will assist you in
What Hardware Do I Need as a Consultant Solicitor? Read More »
Yes. As a consultant solicitor at Setfords, you have full control over your working hours. Work Around Your Life There are no set hours to stick to. Whether you prefer an early start, a shorter working week or a schedule built around other commitments, consultancy gives you the freedom to structure your days in a
Do I Pick the Hours I Work as a Consultant Solicitor? Read More »
Often, yes. The fee share model typically results in higher net earnings compared to traditional salaried roles, as you can earn a higher percentage of your billings. How the Numbers Work In a traditional employed role, your salary is fixed regardless of how much you bill. With the consultancy model, your earnings are directly tied
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