Legal consultants, also called legal advisors, provide legal guidance to clients and businesses. While lawyers go to trial and offer assistance inside and outside a courtroom, legal consultants only do the latter. They often have the same training as lawyers, with many specialising in different legal fields like nursing, business law, real estate, financial law, or foreign affairs.
While lawyers work for a firm or governmental entity, most legal consultants operate as freelancers, outsourcing their services to various organisations, where they perform many of the same day-to-day job duties as lawyers.
They're especially popular in large organisations where they provide a range of services to augment the internal capabilities of an outside law firm or internal legal department on a project basis, while filling in the demand for specialized legal expertise on short notice. When in-house counsel need extra help during peak workload periods and for projects requiring specialized expertise that they lack internally, they'll call on a legal consultant specialising in the required area to help with strategic planning, research and analysis, and employee training.
Legal consultants are also a great option for small and medium-size businesses that don’t have the budget to maintain full-time counsel in-house. While they might choose to engage the services of a law firm on larger matters, for the most part, they can make do with a legal consultant. These professionals help SMEs by providing specialized advice on workplace legal issues, such as employee misconduct, unlawful termination and compliance infractions at a much more affordable rate.
Becoming a legal consultant requires many of the same steps as does becoming a lawyer. Aside from a law degree and experience working as an attorney, consultants typically have foundational knowledge in one or more specialized areas. Some consultants in the corporate world also have a master’s of business administration. Consultants are typically very well-versed, and have excellent interpersonal, time management, and communication skills.