Hire an interim Solicitor
Law firms today face increasing pressure to deliver high-quality legal services while managing fluctuating workloads, tight deadlines and evolving client demands. As law firm recruiters, we know that hiring an interim solicitor offers a strategic solution, providing access to experienced legal professionals on a flexible basis.
Whether you’re covering parental leave, responding to a surge in client work or seeking niche expertise, interim Solicitors can help you maintain continuity and quality without long-term commitment.
Why hire an interim Solicitor?
An interim Solicitor is a qualified legal professional engaged on a temporary basis to support law firms during periods of transition, growth or resource gaps. These professionals bring valuable experience and can integrate quickly into your team, offering:
- Immediate availability to meet urgent needs
- Specialist expertise across all areas such as commercial property, employment, competition, tax, IP/IT, construction, banking and finance
- Cost-effective support without the overheads of permanent hires
- Continuity of service during staff absences or recruitment delays
Benefits of interim legal hiring
When hiring an interim Solicitor through an agency like Taylor Root, the process is streamlined to reduce your admin burden. For day-rate or hourly-rate contractors, we manage payment processing, insurance cover, compliance checks and contractual paperwork, so you can focus on getting the right person in place.
Whether you’re hiring on a day rate or a fixed-term contract, we work swiftly and strategically to tailor our shortlist to your needs, often presenting a shortlist within 24 to 48 hours and arranging interviews within days. Our focus on speed and precision ensures you secure the right person, fast.
Locum Solicitor, Consultant or interim Solicitor: what’s the difference?
While the terms are often used interchangeably, a locum Solicitor typically refers to a Lawyer who temporarily fills a role due to absence or leave, and is paid on a daily or hourly rate basis.
A consultant Solicitor, on the other hand, may work on a project basis or offer advisory services. An interim Solicitor can encompass both, depending on the nature of the engagement. At Taylor Root, most of our interim Solicitors are engaged on a fixed-term contract basis with law firms.
Consultant solicitors: strategic legal partners
Consultant Solicitors typically work with multiple law firms and operate independently on an ad-hoc zero hours basis. As self-employed professionals, they manage their own schedules and client relationships, and are not tied to any one firm.
This model suits advisory or overflow work where flexibility is key, and will often work remotely or on a part-time basis, supporting firms with:
- Complex legal advisory work
- Overflow client matters
- Strategic input on firm growth or compliance
When to consider hiring an interim Solicitor
Law firm employers may benefit from interim legal support in several scenarios:
- New practice areas: Test new services without committing to permanent hires
- Parental leave, staff turnover or sabbaticals: Maintain client service levels while permanent staff are away
- Gaps in permanent recruitment appointments
- Increased workload: Scale up quickly to meet demand
- Regulatory changes: Bring in specialists to navigate complex updates
- Growth: When a Partner is appointed into a new area, interim resource can step in while they are building a permanent team
Roles we recruit for law firms
In addition to interim Solicitors, we support law firms in hiring across a wide range of legal and business services roles, including:
- General Counsel and Heads of Legal
- Interim risk and compliance professionals
- Data protection specialists
- Company secretarial and governance experts
- Legal operations and transformation leads
- Paralegals and legal support staff
Our recruitment solutions are tailored to your firm’s structure, culture and strategic goals, whether you’re hiring for short-term cover or long-term growth.
How Taylor Root supports interim hiring
At Taylor Root, we specialise in connecting law firms with high-calibre interim Solicitors, locum Solicitors and consultant Solicitors. Our dedicated interim team understands the nuances of temporary legal hiring and works closely with employers to:
- Identify the right talent for your needs
- Ensure seamless onboarding and integration
- Provide ongoing support throughout the assignment
We move quickly, often presenting a shortlist within 24 to 48 hours and arranging interviews within days. From boutique firms to global practices, we help you build a flexible legal workforce that meets your business goals, fast.
Why choose us?
Our dedicated interim law firm recruitment consultants operate exclusively in this space, advising employers across the UK, Europe, the US, and beyond.
hire interim solicitors in law firms
Frequently asked questions
This section provides clear, concise answers to the most common queries about hiring interim legal staff in law firms, helping you make informed decisions with confidence.
A locum Solicitor, also known as an interim Solicitor, is a qualified Lawyer who temporarily fills a role within a law firm, often to cover leave or short-term absences. They are typically paid on a daily or hourly rate basis and can work across various practice areas.
Consultant Solicitors typically work with multiple law firms and operate independently. As self-employed professionals, they manage their own schedules and client relationships, and are not tied to any one firm. This model suits advisory or overflow work where flexibility is key.
Interim assignments can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on your needs. Interims might be engaged on a day-rate contract or on a fixed-term basis for longer projects or to cover parental leave.
Yes. Interim hiring allows firms to manage costs by avoiding permanent overheads while still accessing high-quality legal expertise. Many clients find that the opportunity cost of team burnout, overwhelming workload and client care is minimised when hiring interims.
