Every experienced lawyer reaches a crossroads.
This is where the other road takes you.
You still love the law. What you may have stopped liking is everything built around it: the targets, the politics, the hours that belong to someone else.
Consultancy keeps the first part and changes the second. Here is how it works, what you could earn, and how to tell if it’s the right fit for you.
Same law. Different life.
Every experienced lawyer reaches a crossroads. Whether it’s the school run you keep missing, the ladder you don’t want to climb, or the career you thought you’d have that just hasn’t materialised, you didn’t fall out of love with the law. You stopped liking everything else. With Setfords, keep the part you love and leave the rest, with a support team of 200+ here to help you earn up to 80% of your billings. Learn why 650+ consultants have already taken this road.
Which crossroads are you standing at?
Most lawyers arrive here for one of a handful of reasons. See which one sounds like yours.
Family
The school run, the bedtime story, the parent who needs more of you than you have left at the end of a day. Time is the one thing you cannot bill back. One road keeps missing out. The other doesn't.
Beyond the ladder
Partnership is either on offer or on the horizon, and neither prospect makes you want to stay. Partnership was never the only definition of success. One road is the ladder. The other is the one you'd choose.
Being your own boss
You've thought about starting your own firm. Then you costed the indemnity insurance, the case management system, the compliance officer and the year of your life it would take. One road is someone else's firm. The other is yours, without the back office.
Everything around the work
You didn't fall out of love with the law. You fell out of love with the commute, the management layer and the politics that surround it. One road keeps all of it. The other keeps only the law.
Relocation
Life moved you. Your practice shouldn't have to start again because your postcode changed. One road means starting over. The other moves with you.
Small practice owner
You've built something real and your clients trust you. The overheads are what's making it hard to keep going. One road is running a business. The other is running your practice.
What could you earn?
Take home up to 80% of what you bill. Business support is included in the fee split, so there is nothing billed back to you at the end of the month. The calculator gives you a realistic number at the touch of a button.
What is a consultant solicitor?
You run your own practice under the Setfords name, with your own clients, your own rates and your own hours. You are self-employed, so you decide what work you take and when you take it.
Setfords holds the regulatory permissions and the insurance, and provides the team that handles everything that isn’t the law.
What stays the same?
- Your clients
- Your practice area and expertise
- Your professional standards
- Your SRA regulation
What changes?
- Who sets your hours
- Who sets your rates
- The work you take on
- Where you work from
What you leave behind?
- Billable-hour targets
- Management and partnership politics
- Building your own back office
- Asking permission to be flexible
Is consultancy right for you?
It isn’t right for everyone, and we would rather you knew that before you applied. Our short guide walks through the questions worth answering honestly.
How much of your client base is genuinely yours. How you feel about running your own practice. What you want the next ten years to look like.
Awards and recognition
Frequently asked questions
The questions lawyers ask us first
Do I need to bring clients with me?
It helps, and most lawyers who join have a following they have built over years. You don’t need a full caseload on day one. Business development support and referred work help you build from wherever you start.
Am I employed or self-employed?
Self-employed. You run your own practice on the Setfords platform, which is what gives you control over your rates, your hours and your caseload.
How much experience do I need?
Setfords works with lawyers who have at least five years of post-qualification experience, regulated by the SRA, CILEX, CLC or the BSB.
Can I do this part-time?
Yes. Consultants set their own volume. Some work four days, some work school hours, some build back up gradually after time away.
What happens to my current clients?
Most clients follow the lawyer, not the letterhead. The recruitment team will talk you through your restrictive covenants and how a transition usually works in practice.
Who handles compliance and insurance?
Setfords does. Professional indemnity insurance, regulatory permissions, AML checks and file audits sit with a dedicated compliance team.
What does the support cover?
Admin, legal secretarial, accounts and finance, business development, compliance, marketing, PR, post-completion and IT. All of it is included in the fee split.
How long does the move take?
It depends on your notice period and your covenants. Typically between one and six months from first conversation to first day.
