consultant solicitor

Why become a consultant solicitor with Setfords?

Change your life today

Why choose Setfords?

Setfords isn’t like other law firms. Despite being among the top 100 firms in the UK, we still retain a family family feel and always put the wellbeing of our lawyers first. Our ethos is that happy lawyers means happy clients, which is proven by the fact we’re a multi-million pound business with over 450 lawyers and 130 support staff. Check out our Trustpilot reviews to see our reputation for yourself!

Becoming a consultant lawyer at Setfords gives you the opportunity to work and thrive in an environment that’s conducive to success. We provide lawyers with a comprehensive support services package, including admin, accounts, marketing, wellbeing and an award-winning Business Development team.

Reinvigorate your career by joining Setfords today.

Find out more
Why Become a Consultant Solicitor

The benefits of being a consultant lawyer with Setfords

Unlimited earning potential

Set your own work-life balance

Work from anywhere

130+ strong expert support team

Nationwide network of 450+ lawyers

A dedicated business development team

uk 200 firm

Setfords is a UK Top 100 firm

Setfords is named one of the UK’s top firms, in The Lawyer Top 100.

The Lawyer’s list is the gold standard for law firm rankings, with the publication using the UK legal market’s most comprehensive roster of metrics, including revenue, margin, net profit, RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) and headcount.

What’s more, Setfords has also enjoyed many award nominations and wins, including Silver We Invest in People and We Invest in Wellbeing accreditations, The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023, and the UK Company Culture Awards to name just a few.

Read Press Release

BILL £160K

Earn £100k

BILL £290K

Earn £200k

BILL £413K

Earn £200k

How much can you earn as a consultant solicitor?

At a traditional firm, you might expect to take home just a third of your billings. But at Setfords, it can be up to 80%, allowing you to earn what you deserve.

Interested to find out your potential returns at Setfords? Use our earnings calculator to predict your earnings – and remember, all of our business-building support is included in the fee split.

How much do you bill annually?

Join our national network

As a consultant lawyer at Setfords, you don’t have to manage a team, but you can be part of one. Our consultant solicitors have access to more than 450 other lawyers across multiple disciplines. So, you can serve their clients better because you can confidently cross-refer work to other talented colleagues. Our consultants also regularly work in teams to deliver pitches or handle large-scale projects.

Our lawyers
Uk Map

Enabling you to do your best work

Becoming a consultant solicitor can be a big change. It’s vital to have the right support to help you thrive in your new role.

At Setfords, we are proud of the industry-leading support services we provide for all of our consultant solicitors. You can benefit from assistance from the following departments:

  • Business Development
  • Marketing
  • Compliance
  • Accounts
  • Secretarial and Admin Support
  • Scanning
  • Legal support
  • PR and communications
  • Reception and telecoms
  • Scanning
  • Technical Support
  • Design Support

Our extensive support services are designed to take the pressure off our consultants. With fewer distractions, you can entirely focus on satisfying your clients’ needs and provide a far superior service. Furthermore, our support is geared towards helping you build a successful practice, allowing you to earn more in the long run.

Find out more about our support

What’s next?

If you think consultancy is for you and are wondering about the next steps, let’s talk. Whether you want to make a move now, in six months, or are just considering it for the future why not get in touch to find out more?

There are just a few simple steps to follow to start your journey to consultancy with Setfords:

  • Fill out an application form to register your interest.
  • Our team will be in touch to chat through consultancy with you.
  • Next, you can provide all your details and sign your agreement with us. You’ll need to upload some documents, including your practicing certificate.
  • Our IT team will get in touch to set up your computer on our systems.
  • Then, you can provide details for your new business cards and web profile.
  • Some of our support team members will get in touch to introduce themselves and answer any initial questions you may have.
  • On the day you start as a Setfords consultant solicitor, you will be announced to the firm, and your profile will go live on our website. That’s it! You’re then free to start working in whatever way you wish.
Find out more

Frequently asked questions

Working as a consultant solicitor involves generating your own work. However, we’ll never leave you completely on your own. We have an award-winning Marketing and Business Development team that generates thousands of quality leads every year for our lawyers. Knowing this gives our consultant solicitors more confidence when they join and it often helps get them up and running.

We have recently invested in a new system to make the delivery of leads to our consultants even smoother, giving them greater flexibility and control over the process.
Yes, you are free to bring staff to help you as a consultant solicitor. However, bear in mind that any employees you bring will be employed by you, and not Setfords.
When it comes to setting you up as a consultant solicitor at Setfords, you can progress as quickly or slowly as you wish. That said, we always aim to minimise delays and have even had consultants get set up in as little as two days!
Training on how to use all of our systems is available to consultants before their launch date. Beyond that, refresher training is provided if it’s needed, as well as training should we introduce anything new.

Yes, as a consultant you do not have to work exclusively with us. The majority of our consultant lawyers don’t choose to take on multiple roles, but we understand that you may wish to and do not restrict your ability to do so.

Yes! Our Head Office in Guildford has plenty of space for our lawyers to work and meet clients, and our location on London’s Chancery Lane is also available for the same. This is particularly popular for its proximity to the capital’s legal heart.

Setfords consultants are also free to set up their own office locations, and we have a number of these locations across the country.

Absolutely! One of the biggest perks of being a consultant solicitor is the fact that you can set your own schedule. Whether you want to make the most of your early mornings, take meetings on weekends to fit your client’s schedule, or stick to the traditional 9-5, as a consultant solicitor it’s totally up to you.

Yes, as a Setfords consultant solicitor you are free to set your own fees if you wish. Please note that any pre-quoted work coming through our Business Development team will have set fees.
Becoming a consultant lawyer gives you amazing freedom and flexibility, including when and where you work. You can be based at home, at one of our offices, at your own office in the UK, or even your holiday home.

Most of our consultants choose to work primarily from home, but it all depends on what’s best for you and your clients. Whatever you choose, you won’t have to relocate, and we welcome consultants who are based all over England, Wales, and beyond.
We encourage our solicitors to take as much time as they want for holidays, and we also understand that sometimes you may be too unwell to work. However, this is never an issue at Setfords.

It’s highly likely that one of the other 450+ solicitors will be able to cover you during this time. We encourage networking with your fellow consultant solicitors, and the staff at Head Office can help you find people to cover you too. Failing that, you can bring in locum cover, but this is almost never necessary!
Our dedicated compliance department provides regular webinars and other similar material for our solicitors. Beyond this, the responsibility to seek continued professional development lies with you as a consultant.
Setfords provides all of our consultant solicitors with a desk VoIP phone and dictaphone to get you started. A deposit is taken for this. You will need to use your own computer and broadband connection to get started.

What our consultants say

Not only do I now have happier clients, but also a healthier work-life balance. A true win-win.

David Miers

Consultant (Stress at Work)
Read my story

I love that it’s all up to me – what I do, when I work, I’m the master of my own destiny.

Maria Schultz

Consultant (Residential and Commercial Property)
Read my story

It gives you a better work life balance, it gives you greater work satisfaction and it can boost your self-esteem. It has made me a happier and more confident lawyer.

Thowheetha Shaah

Consultant (Family Law)
Read my story

Take your first step today

For unparalleled flexibility, greater earnings, and all the support you need to build your successful business, Setfords is here. If you’re an entrepreneurial lawyer who wants to join an award-winning firm where investment in your growth is the priority, fill out this form, and one of our team will be in touch to discuss life as a consultant lawyer.

investors in people
hundred 2022

Alternatively, contact us by telephone or email:
Email us: applications@setfords.co.uk / Call us: 0330 162 1792

    This allows us to send you the information you need to know about consultancy

    This enables us to get in touch and discuss life as a Setfords consultant

    Currently, we can only work with lawyers qualified under one of these regulatory bodies