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Understanding the Pros and Cons of Employment vs. Self-Employment in Conveyancing

When it comes to the world of conveyancing, professionals often face a significant decision: should they remain employed or venture into self-employment? Both options offer distinct advantages and drawbacks, and understanding them is crucial for making informed career choices. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each path and understand how the cons are taken care of as a consultant at Smoove Complete.

Pros of Self-Employment

  1. Work-Life Balance: Say goodbye to the hassle of requesting time off for personal commitments. As a self-employed conveyancer, you have the power to manage your schedule, ensuring a better work-life balance. No more asking for time off to see the children at their sports day, or to go to the dentist, drs or just to get your hair done. As you manage your client expectations you can determine the hours you work.
  2. Case Selection: Choose the types of cases you want to handle, some of our Consultants do not want to deal with new build matters or perhaps deal with more leasehold cases. You can decide the profile of your cases with your introducers. You don’t have a Partner giving you cases you cannot manage or don’t have capacity for.  You manage your pipeline.
  3. Workload Management: Be your own boss, manage your own relationships and websites etc; you manage your own workstreams and relationship manage your contacts. Some of our Consultants have their own websites with their branding, we just need to ensure they are compliant.
  4. Modern Approach: Breaking free from old fashioned conveyancing businesses; you are part of a great law firm, we want to influence and change the conveyancing journey by doing things faster and better. We don’t dictate, we don’t post, we are tech enabled but also have processes in place to support clients that cannot use tech. Our outlook and processes are flexible, if there is a solution we will find it.
  5. Technological Advancements: Leverage digital tools to streamline your workflow and progress cases efficiently. We use digital onboarding, case management, digital proof of funds/source of wealth. We continue to review all systems and consider new products on the market that can enhance the journey.
  6. Comprehensive Support: Great technical Guides and Precedents to support you and your clients; we have up to date Guides from septic tanks through to climate change. Our precedents are regularly updated and dynamic. Amazing support from the Legal Team, removing obstacles to speed up transactions; we complete the onboarding and post completion. Any queries or issues we have a team to help – just pick up the phone we are there.  If you have new Referral Agreements we review and turnaround in 24 hours.  We are there to support you.
  7. Higher Earning Potential: You can earn up to 80% of your billing with Smoove Complete; e.g. £200k revenue, you earn £160k!

Cons of Self-Employment

  1. Holiday and Sick Leave: If you are absent from the office, as a Consultant, you need to arrange your own cover. Some Consultants ‘buddy up’, we just need to know who is managing your cases and client expectations.
  2. Financial Management: Excelling in conveyancing doesn’t always mean great at financially modelling; we get it. You are a great conveyancer but perhaps not sure if you are profitable or not. We can help you model your instructions, revenue and profit.
  3. Business Setup: Setting up your own business and managing taxes can feel overwhelming initially. However, at Smoove Complete, assistance is available to navigate through this process seamlessly.

Choosing between employment and self-employment in conveyancing requires careful consideration of these pros and cons. If the autonomy of self-employment is calling you, Smoove Complete, alongside the team at Amity Law offers stability and guidance at every stage.

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This article was submitted to be published by Smoove plc. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer. 

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