Professional Support Lawyer

The last five years has seen a huge increase in the number of professional support lawyers. Learn all about the work, the pay and the long-term career opportunities in this vital role.

Introduction

Law firms have increasingly recognised that the capture, control and dissemination of a law firm’s “crown jewels” - its information - is key to its success. And so the role of the professional support lawyer or “PSL” - qualified lawyers who do non-fee earning work in support of a particular team’s fee-earners - has evolved as a vital resource.

The number of PSLs has increased dramatically over the last few years and the larger and mid-sized City and national firms in particular now have highly organised know-how structures in place. The scope of a PSL role has also broadened and become more clearly defined. Opportunities exist not only in the traditional core areas of corporate, banking and property but also, for example, in employment, pensions, financial services, insolvency, litigation, capital markets, tax, IP/IT and competition.

This guide aims to provide answers to those questions frequently asked by lawyers thinking of transitioning into a PSL role, or by those who have already taken this step and are looking to develop their career further.

Why become a PSL?

Quality of Life

• Regular hours - PSL roles tend to offer more regular hours, usually a more predictable 9.30-5.30 / 6.00. Where substantial new legislation is coming in or a particular project is being rolled out, the hours may be longer, but unlike with most fee-earning roles this is the exception rather than the rule. This is a particular bonus for those with important non-work commitments. 
• Part-time options - Part-time fee-earning roles are still few and far between; but many PSL roles offer the opportunity to work part-time, 3 or 4 days a week, or with some flexible home working.

The Black Letter Law

• A PSL has more time to deal with the black letter law and to analyse legal problems without the pressure of external client demands. Often a desire to focus more on the law itself is a factor which influences lawyers in their decision to move into a PSL role.

New Skills

• As PSL roles have evolved there are all sorts of new skills which a lawyer can develop. In particular, the opportunity to get more involved in training or marketing and business development initiatives.

What will you do as a PSL?

The role of a PSL keeps evolving. Whilst there are still some roles which maintain a narrow focus, say just on the development of precedents, most positions are now more broad-ranging and offer a range of responsibilities. Roles vary, so it is important to be clear about the job description before taking on the position – or if there is no formal job description, get some idea of what scope you have for development. Roles range from a “greenfield site” where a firm may not have had a PSL in a particular department before, taking over from an existing PSL who is moving on from the firm, or joining a team of PSLs.

PSL roles vary not only from firm to firm but also from department to department. However, while each position needs to be assessed on an individual basis, a combination of the following components are likely to make up the role:

• Know-How - The collation and development of precedents, practice notes and working practices. 
• New Points of Law - Ensuring fee-earners are kept up-to-date on developments in the law – the latest cases, legislation and statutory instruments – often through presentation to regular departmental meetings and/or circulation of written materials. 
• Marketing - Producing articles, briefings and newsletters to clients, attending and giving talks at external conferences/seminars. 
• Training - Managing and/or providing training and professional development for fee-earners, for example arranging in-house and external seminars and workshops. 
• IT / Internet / On-line products - Managing or contributing to parts of the firm’s intranet, information databases and knowledge management systems. PSLs are increasingly becoming involved in the preparation and production of their firm’s online products, and this area will continue to grow.

Who can become a PSL?

An understanding of what a particular firm is looking for in its PSL resource should help you to:

• Make a decision as to whether this is the right career move/position for you. 
• Perform well in interview. Time and again the same qualities and skills are sought by the law firms.

Qualifications

You will usually need:

• To be a qualified lawyer 
• To have at least 2-3 years’ PQE in the relevant practice area. Although, some positions may require people with a greater level of experience and, in larger teams, more junior PSL roles are also available.

Qualities

The following are qualities often mentioned by firms in their recruitment for PSL roles:

• Intellectual strength – being able to grapple with and explain new areas of law to others. Written and oral presentation skills - the ability to present confidently and clearly about your practice area. 
• A good communicator – with the ability to interact with and be accessible to people at all levels – from trainees to partners. An interest in and an enthusiasm for the law and the particular practice area. 
• Organisational skills – with many different calls on your time you will need to be able to prioritise. Self-motivation – being able to take the initiative. 
• IT skills – the ability to use the internet and on-line systems for research and dissemination of information.

Developing your career as a PSL

As the role and use of PSL lawyers has developed, so the opportunities for ongoing career development within the professional support field have increased.

After moving into a PSL position, a second step might be a role where you have supervision of another PSL or a team of PSLs, while perhaps at the top of the ladder would be the role of central or departmental Head of Know-How for the firm. Firms are increasingly recruiting central “Director of Know-How” or “Head of Training and Support” roles to standardise and develop know-how, training and professional support across the firm. These roles often include strategy, development, managing a budget and ongoing liaison at partner level across the firm.

The fact that several of the large City firms have afforded lead PSLs partner status is encouraging. As the status of PSLs continues to rise, it would seem likely that partnership opportunities will also increase.

Salary and Benefits

The regular and usually shorter hours worked by PSLs, in comparison to their fee-earning colleagues, has meant that salaries offered tend to be lower, but still remain very competitive. Typically firms discount 10-15% from the amount they would pay a fee-earner at the same level of qualification. PSLs normally receive the other benefits offered to fee-earners at the particular firm – pensions, medical insurance, life assurance etc.

If a PSL is employed on a part-time basis, then packages are pro-rated accordingly to reflect this. For general PSL roles, salaries tend to plateau off around 7+ years’ qualified. However, more senior “Director” or “Head of” PSL roles in the City can command salaries in excess of £100,000.

Conclusion

Becoming a PSL is a career option increasingly being considered and explored by lawyers looking to step away from fee earning whilst remaining at the cutting edge of the legal profession. If you are interested in exploring the opportunities available and would like to have a more detailed discussion about specific law firms, then get in touch with our specialist consultants.

For more information, please contact alison.pendleton@hays.com