The rising costs of legal services and the flexible alternative Adaptable Legal Counsel offers
By Amy Kafetz, Founder Adaptable Legal Counsel
In today’s legal market, hourly rates for law firms continue to rise, making access to legal services increasingly expensive. According to a recent survey by PWC, from 2019 to 2024, the hourly rates among the top 51-100 law firms have risen by 23.5%, now averaging £247 per hour. For SMEs and SMBs, this creates a financial burden that’s difficult to sustain.
We offer a cost-effective alternative
At Adaptable Legal Counsel, we offer a modern solution that breaks away from the traditional billable hour model. Instead, we provide flexible legal services through a day-rate retainer model, allowing businesses to access legal expertise at a predictable and affordable cost. Government-issued rates suggest that a lawyer working on a hourly rate at my level of experience would charge between £190 and £233 per hour, meaning with Adaptable Legal Counsel, you could get me for a full day at the price of just 2 to 3 hours on the traditional model.
The rise in hourly rates
The latest industry data shows significant increases across all law firm tiers. According to the PWC survey, the top 10 firms now charge an average of £449 per hour which is a 39.9% increase since 2019. Even for mid-tier firms in the top 51-100 bracket, the average rate surged to £247 per hour. For businesses needing legal support, especially SMBs SMEs, this rising cost makes traditional law firm models less accessible.
A Different Approach to Legal Services
Our flexible legal solutions offer an affordable and practical alternative. Thanks to regulatory changes which pointed to opening up access to legal services for smaller businesses as a reason for the change, legal consultancies like mine can now provide legal services outside the more traditional legal services framework. This creates more competition, meaning that businesses no longer have to be tied to expensive hourly rates to access the legal advice they need.
At Adaptable Legal Counsel, you only pay for what you need, ensuring legal costs remain manageable. Our model is tailored to SMEs and SMBs has flexibility, affordability and predictability at the forefront.
Personalised in-house feel
Beyond affordability, I offer the advantage of a more personal, in-house legal support feel. With experience as legal counsel for large, listed companies, I understand the importance of combining business strategy with legal expertise and getting to know a business, its people and how it operates. You’ll receive focused and personal advice that integrates with your business goals and obtain a true business partner for your business.
Flexible legal overflow support
For legal teams at larger businesses, my services extend to legal overflow support. If your team is stretched or facing high workloads, I can step in as a flexible commercial lawyer or interim legal counsel, providing legal staffing overflow support without the cost associated of perhaps having to go to a traditional law firm for a secondee. This flexibility allows teams to scale effectively, manage work-loads, cover absences or busy periods, so their in-house lawyers are not stretched and working long hours to meet business demands, all while managing costs.
About Me
I hold a law degree from the University of Southampton and an LPC LLM from the University of Law. I was a graduate at Deloitte but then moved to Panasonic to work as a paralegal and later a trainee solicitor. I qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales while completing my training contract at Panasonic, a large, listed electronics technology company, and later worked as legal counsel at RX Global, an events company within the FTSE 100 RELX Group. Now, I’m available to help legal teams on an overflow basis or to provide flexible legal resources to businesses in need of support.
Get in touch
For more information, visit my website or email me. For a free consultation to understand more about how I can support your business please fill out this link Free Consultation and I will be in touch to arrange a time to speak.
