Work-From-Home Attorney Jobs and Alternative Career Paths

If you enjoy working as an attorney, but you want to spend more time with your family, working from home may be the solution.

Here are some companies and places that regularly offer telecommuting and freelance positions for lawyers.

If you’re looking to change careers, I have some alternative career paths for lawyers too!

Where to Find Work-From-Home Attorney Jobs

1. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a paid subscription site for professional telecommuting, freelance, part-time, and flexible schedule jobs. All jobs are hand-screened for legitimacy, so you never have to worry about dealing with scam sites or opportunities. FlexJobs also makes it easy to search by occupation, location, career level, work schedule, and telecommuting level.

2. Flex Professionals

Employment companies, like Flex Professionals, help attorneys find work-from-home jobs in the industry of their choice. Founded by three women (who are also moms), this company understands the value of part-time employment and strategically matches motivated people with companies that fit their needs.

3. Hire an Esquire

Hire an Esquire is an on-demand platform connecting attorneys, paralegals, and law clerks with legal firms that need short-term help. With this platform, you can bid on gigs, negotiate prices, and receive payments via direct deposit. I couldn’t locate the fees associated with Hire an Esquire, so you’ll need to look into that.

4. Ontra

Ontra helps attorneys find virtual employment opportunities with flexible hours and competitive pay. The company works with individual practitioners and specialized boutique law firms to match experienced attorneys with top-tier businesses.

While their hiring standards are high, they provide work-from-home attorney jobs around the globe. If you’re an attorney with substantial experience, Ontra may be able to help you find a work-at-home job in your practice area.

5. JustAnswer

If you’re looking to earn a little extra money, becoming a legal expert on the JustAnswer platform might be the answer. With JustAnswer, you log in whenever you have some free time and answer questions online. The opportunity is open to US and Canadian residents, and payments are distributed via PayPal monthly. Currently, JustAnswer has an urgent need for attorneys and they have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

6. LAWCLERK

LAWCLERK is an online freelance marketplace for lawyers. To get started, create an account, and browse current freelance projects, and apply for the ones you’re interested in. I couldn’t find much on how payments are made or what percentage LAWCLERK keeps, but they do have good Facebook ratings.

7. Lawyer Exchange

With Lawyer Exchange, lawyers can work on-demand by searching the freelance platform for projects. The platform is free to use, you negotiate your own rates, and once the project is complete, Lawyer Exchange adds a service fee to the company’s invoice, so you earn 100% of your negotiated rate.

8. LinkedIn

To find some of the best remote attorney job openings, LinkedIn is an excellent place to start. The networking and employment-focused site lists hundreds of work-from-home attorney jobs every day. Best of all, you’ll quickly be able to see if any positions are linked to your existing network. You can set up alerts through LinkedIn, so you’ll be immediately notified when new positions are listed.

9. Montage Legal Group

Launched by Laurie Gormican Rowen and Erin Clary Giglia in 2009, Montage Legal Group provides freelance legal services to law firms and legal departments. Attorneys decide how much to work and how much they charge and work as self-employed independent contractors. If you’re interested in joining their pool of freelance lawyers, send your resume to their team, and someone will contact you about the next steps.

10. Robert Half

Robert Half is a staffing agency dedicated to helping companies and job seekers with their employment needs. A couple of neat things about Robert Half is they offer benefits to some job candidates who are on a temporary assignment. They also provide 8,000+ free training courses to their job candidates.

Before you create an account, feel free to check out their Job Search Page to get an idea of all the kinds of positions that are available. Not all positions offer telecommuting as an option, but new listings are continually added, so keep checking.

Alternative Career Paths for Lawyers

If practicing law is no longer your jam, we have some career ideas for lawyers who are interested in trying something new out.

11. Become an Author

Do you enjoy writing? Do you have a great story to tell? Then becoming a self-made author might be an unexpected work-from-home career for you! Lisa Smith is a former corporate lawyer, now a best-selling author who shifted her professional life when deciding to write her memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar, a book focused on her struggles with addiction while navigating a fast-moving legal career.

12. Become a Blogger

Perhaps you enjoy writing shorter pieces of content? Starting a blog allows you to publish shorter content on any subject you enjoy. Once your site generates enough traffic, the opportunities to earn money as a full-time blogger are endless. Both direct advertising and affiliate marketing are great ways to make money through blogging at home.

One such lawyer that left her law career behind for the blogging lifestyle is Natalie Bacon. After graduating from law school and passing the bar exam, Natalie found herself with $206K worth of student debt! During this time, she learned everything she could about money and decided to launch a personal finance blog. For a few years, she continued to work as an attorney and run her blog as a side hustle but later decided that being a lawyer wasn’t for her. Today, Natalie runs her full-time blogging and coaching business from home.

13. Become a Business Coach

Do you want to leave your law days behind you? Do you enjoy helping others achieve their goals? Then consider becoming a certified business coach! Certification isn’t required to become a business coach, but it can help you achieve your goals quicker and help you stand out as an expert within the industry. Plus, many programs only take about six weeks, and they provide you with tools, the know-how, and ongoing support.

Ali Katz is a lawyer who now specializes in providing coaching advice and tips related to personal finances and business. Her unique views and authenticity have allowed her to carve out a one-of-a-kind approach within the coaching industry.

On a side note, Alexis Neely also has a second business, Law Business Mentors, which offers guidance to attorneys who want to build their own law practice.

14. Become a Law-Practicing Entrepreneur

Do you still love practicing law, but you want to be your boss and work from home? If you answered yes to either of these questions, becoming a home-based entrepreneur is the career match you’ve been searching for! No matter your legal background, take a look at the industry and see if there are any areas where you can offer your law services from home.

One gal that has gone this route is Jamie Lieberman of Hashtag Legal (a home-based law firm offering legal services to digital entrepreneurs).

15. Become a Fitness Trainer

If practicing law is no longer your passion, but your motivation for staying fit remains, becoming a home-based fitness trainer could be your calling. Whether you’re always reading books on the latest nutrition trends or never miss a workout, promoting a healthy lifestyle can easily become a full-time career for you.

One woman who ditched her successful law career for her real passion, running, is Robin Arzon. Today Robin is a best-selling author, head instructor at Peloton, and an ambassador for brands like Adidas. And it doesn’t hurt that she has 605K followers on Instagram!

16. Become an Inventor

Are you tired of filing patent applications for your clients? Do you have your own great ideas? Then consider becoming a home-based inventor!

While Rebecca Rabson had already left her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom, she couldn’t quite find the product that she was looking for on the market, so she created her own, the Smartseat Chair Protector. Rebecca has successfully been running her home-based business since 2010!

Not Finding What You’re Looking For?

If these alternative career paths aren’t speaking to you — don’t worry! There are many resources out there to help you find a path that lights you up!

Here are some helpful books and blog posts:

Life After Law: Finding Work You Love with the J.D. You Have by Liz Brown
The Unhappy Lawyer: A Roadmap to Finding Meaningful Work Outside of the Law by Monica Parker
Leaving the Law: 5 Alternate Career Paths for Lawyers from The Muse
What to Do If You Hate Being a Lawyer from The Balance Careers

Conclusion

There are many opportunities to work-from-home as an attorney. You can go the traditional route and utilize your legal knowledge and skills from the comfort of your own home. Or, you can make the leap and become your own boss! No matter which path you choose, there are many rewarding work-from-home jobs for attorneys to embark upon.

Originally published November 19, 2018. Content updated November 13, 2020.