Rose shares with us her philosophy on life and work, and how Vario has given her the independence and control she desires.
“I fell into legal contracting by chance! I travelled for a year after law school, then did my training contract in London. I was offered a contracting position at Clifford Chance straight after, and quickly realised that I really enjoyed that style of work. It allowed me to pursue my other interests alongside my work, such as studying Art Law and History of Art at night classes at Sotheby’s.
I was never keen on the traditional legal set-up. I wanted something different yet at the same time to continue to have a successful career in law. I eventually found that, if you’re curious, you can find the other avenues available. Firms such as Pinsent Masons are innovative and understand the benefits of people being happy and having what they need — it really does create more productivity.
I initially started at Pinsent Masons on a 5-month contract with the firm, then joined Vario about 18 months ago. My favourite assignment so far has been with a premiership football club — football isn’t a huge passion of mine but I found working on all the transfers interesting and challenging. I love the variety and flexibility of contracting, and I have had consistent assignments since qualifying. I like being in an equal partnership with clients — you’reasking the mutual question ‘how does this need to work for you to produce the best possible results?’.
“I really believe that contracting can suit lawyers at any stage in their career — the common denominator seems to be having confidence in yourself and your abilities.”
I was lucky enough to start in a well-supported trainee role, and I’ve worked hard to build up my contacts, experience and reputation. Interestingly, I think it’s an advantage having never been on the ‘traditional’ path — I never developed any firm-specific habits that I had to unlearn and am able to quickly adapt to new environments. As long as you have the right mindset — hard work, integrity, respect, self-belief and curiosity — you can flourish.
I work from home two days a week which is great as I can base myself at home in Belfast. There are challenges — travel can get tiring, hotel life isn’t all that fun and it can be hard to leave assignments when you have built great relationships. But these are hugely outweighed by the fact that I’m in charge of how my year pans out. It’s a two- way street with clients — you need to understand and respond to their needs in order to reap the benefits of such a flexible working arrangement. I particularly enjoy working with Vario because they care about how my skills and personality will fit with a company. They’re very supportive when things are tough — they sent me flowers once when I was without a PC at the start of an assignment!
I definitely feel satisfied with what I am doing — from my experience, one never knows how and when opportunities will come your way. My personal philosophy is that security has to come from within, and you have to be clear on what’s important to you. You do give a lot of yourself with contract work, but you get a lot back in return.”
This article shows how freelance law can work for lawyers at all stages of their career. So, if know of any lawyers – like Rose – who would be interested in this way of working, tell them to get in touch with the Vario team!
READ ANOTHER OF OUR STORIES
Stanley Wang
Stanley applied to Vario to pursue a more flexible legal career than his full time lawyer position allowing him to work on his fishing business in the summer months.
Although Stanley finds his legal assignments with Vario challenging at times, he prefers his current work-life balance overall.
Stanley Wang
Andrew McLean
Vario within the Financial Services sector
Andrew has been a Vario for almost three years and has spent much of that time on assignment with a major bank. Quite a change from his previous life as in-house counsel for a whiskey manufacturer!
Andrew McLean
Elaine Quinn
Vario and founder of The Conscious Lawyer
Elaine joined Vario in 2013 and has experience of both in-house and Pinsent Masons’ internal assignments. Alongside her three-day week as a lawyer, she has launched theconsciouslawyer.co.uk, a publication exploring a more mindful approach to law.
Elaine Quinn
Kate Halliwell
Vario within Banking and Finance
Having been a Vario for four years, Kate enjoys the flexibility that comes with being a freelance lawyer. In her current full-time role, she works from home one day a week, allowing her to stay involved in family life and achieve the balance that matters to her.
Kate Halliwell
Doris Woo
Vario specialising in IP law
After graduating with a degree in computer science, Doris began working in the IT sector. A colleague then suggested one day that she should consider pursuing a career within IP Law as she would be best placed for it with her existing technical knowledge.
Doris Woo
Meg Berlin
Vario and founder of Dancing Vine
A natural-born multipotentialite with a true portfolio career, Meg continues to work in-house for leading international companies whilst completing a Psychotherapy degree, establishing a private therapy practice, and running a ‘mindful wine’ company, www.dancingvine.co.uk.
Meg Berlin
Rose Johnstone
Belfast-based Vario
Based in Belfast, Rose joined the Vario community early on in her career, and has already worked on a variety of assignments. Rose shares with us her philosophy on life and work, and how Vario has given her the independence and control she desires.
Rose Johnstone
Ross McAlister
Paralegal Vario
Ross is a paralegal based in Edinburgh who signed up to Vario to gain further exposure and experience in law ahead of commencing his training contract.
Ross McAlister
Samantha Byrne
Paralegal Vario
Samantha is a paralegal soon to start her training contract. She joined Vario to gain a greater understanding of work and the legal industry while enjoying a flexible work-life balance.
Samantha Byrne
Alan Blinder
Family, friends, fitness, food and fun.
Freelancing as a Vario allows Alan to have more time for what he values most in life.
Alan Blinder
Lisa Akinrele
Passions for travel, fashion and foreign languages.
Becoming a freelancing Vario allows Lisa to dedicate time to following her passions but also work on high-quality assignments.
Lisa Akinrele
Jaimie Hunter
Training for a Traineeship.
Ahead of commencing her training contract, Jaimie is gaining experience and skills as a Vario.
Jaimie Hunter
Zoe Harris
A Class Act.
Working as a Vario, Zoe is able to pursue her passion for acting as well as a career as a lawyer.
Zoe Harris
Lola Dawson
Smelling the Sweet Roses of Life.
Junior Lawyer Lola decided to forego the traditional career in law and became a freelancer instead. She’s now reaping the rewards.
Lola Dawson
Rachel Wood
From practising solicitor to project management. Rachel found a permanent position through Vario.
Rachel originally qualified as a solicitor in corporate law, moving from a fee earning solicitor role at 5 PQE into a PSL position at McGrigors LLP in their corporate team as one of the firm’s first PSL lawyers.
Rachel Wood
Michael Thomas
Growing up, Michael actually dreamed of studying architecture and design, but it was his traditionally-minded father that persuaded him to become a lawyer.
After working 8 years at a firm, Michael decided it was time to make a new start and launch his own firm in October 2017, he then discovered Vario.
Michael Thomas
Will Buswell
From Lab to Law
After years studying life sciences, Paralegal Will Buswell is now seeking new challenges in the legal world.
Will Buswell
Nicola Allan
Nicola always had a passion for illustration, but her professional career steered her towards law. Working as a Vario, she can now enjoy both
Nicola enjoys seeing more of the world and her lifestyle needs a flexible career to support it. Working as a freelance lawyer through Vario allows her to do just that.
Nicola Allan
Jenny Wilson
Employment Law to Musical Score.
From employment law to jazz; to Canada and back; to part-time working; to psychotherapy and coaching; Jenny Wilson is bringing as much colour as possible to her life as a Vario.
Jenny Wilson
Emma Sinclair
Seeking balance within a career path.
Significant travel, tight deadlines, demanding clients and a continually changing industry was keeping Emma away from quality time with her children. Joining Vario allowed her to
Emma Sinclair
Jacinta Bayard
From Merino Life to Marine Life.
After a successful career working in a combination of in-house and private practice roles in the city, Jacinta moved to the coast for a more relaxed pace of life but finds work which suits her through Vario.
Jacinta Bayard
Ian Barrie
Vario living in Italy and the UK
Ian works on Vario assignments predominately during the summer months, allowing him to fund and run his own independent ski travel business, www.glaciustravel.com, the rest of the year.
Ian Barrie
Ruth Chapman
Vario living in Italy and the UK
Ruth is a senior property lawyer and has worked as a Vario for five years, primarily within Pinsent Masons’ teams. She lives across Italy and the UK, and works almost exclusively from home.
Ruth Chapman
Kara McLaren
Returning to legal work after raising children
Not many people can boast a stint in Toronto, a successful legal career and raising four children all born within four years of each other, but Kara McLaren has managed it.
Kara McLaren
Jack Hamilton
From Placement to Paralegal
Jack gained invaluable experience ahead of his training contract through Vario, and also learned that Vario enables legal professionals to enjoy a better work-life balance than traditional employees.
Jack Hamilton
Henry Burkitt
Vario and MD of Kraken Travel
Henry has been a member of the Vario community for four years, balancing freelance legal work in Financial Services alongside running his own adventure sailing business.