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Hello Everyone...
Jill Bayles
Messages count : 3
Likes count : 0
Registration :
13 April 2007
I'm a newbie, both to the forum and also to the world of freelancing, the latter since yesterday. Whilst I'm still reeling from the shock of being accepted as a freelance legal researcher, I've already been hit with a couple of briefs, at which stage panic set in as I'm not prepared at all so I've declined any until such time as I get everything up and running.
I know that there is some useful info on this site which I will work through asap and I'm in the process of registering for IT and NI but my biggest problem is that I have limited knowledge of what legal research material/tools that I should be accessing. I'm a Solicitor by profession but hate my chosen career with a vengeance so thought I'd try to use my Law Degree in another field that would give me the freedom to work from home so that I can more adequately fulfil my family commitments...so here I am! I'm also working towards obtaining a proofreading qualification and hopefully I'll progress to copy-editing.
I don't know any legal researchers/writers so I thought that maybe there would be some that use this forum who could point me in the right direction as I'm pretty desperate at the moment. I'm arranging access to Lawtel and I intend to join a Law Library in the locality (North East England). I also have internet access. I'm not sure if there's anything else I can do to access more research info and I'm not sure where to look for more work of this nature as presently I've been accepted to undertake work for one support service company and I don't know of any others.
Well here's hoping that someone on here may be able to help a damsel in distress before she reaches her wits end :eek: :mad: :confused: đ
I know that there is some useful info on this site which I will work through asap and I'm in the process of registering for IT and NI but my biggest problem is that I have limited knowledge of what legal research material/tools that I should be accessing. I'm a Solicitor by profession but hate my chosen career with a vengeance so thought I'd try to use my Law Degree in another field that would give me the freedom to work from home so that I can more adequately fulfil my family commitments...so here I am! I'm also working towards obtaining a proofreading qualification and hopefully I'll progress to copy-editing.
I don't know any legal researchers/writers so I thought that maybe there would be some that use this forum who could point me in the right direction as I'm pretty desperate at the moment. I'm arranging access to Lawtel and I intend to join a Law Library in the locality (North East England). I also have internet access. I'm not sure if there's anything else I can do to access more research info and I'm not sure where to look for more work of this nature as presently I've been accepted to undertake work for one support service company and I don't know of any others.
Well here's hoping that someone on here may be able to help a damsel in distress before she reaches her wits end :eek: :mad: :confused: đ
- Contact in PM
MickeyFinn
Messages count : 120Likes count : 0Registration : 30 October 2006Hi Jill,
Pretty complex stuff! Well done on taking the leap and you are being incredibly sensible by not taking on work until you have sorted working practices out.
"I'm in the process of registering for IT and NI"
What does that mean?
What help are you looking for from us that is general in nature as it does not look any legal specialists are jumping in to help! - Contact in PM
Jill Bayles
Messages count : 3Likes count : 0Registration : 13 April 2007
HiMickeyFinn, post: 888 a Ă©crit : Hi Jill,
Pretty complex stuff! Well done on taking the leap and you are being incredibly sensible by not taking on work until you have sorted working practices out.
"I'm in the process of registering for IT and NI"
What does that mean?
What help are you looking for from us that is general in nature as it does not look any legal specialists are jumping in to help!
It means registering with HM Customs and Revenue for income tax and national insurance!
I'm still no further forward...distinct lack of legal eagles on here methinks!
I've decided to ask one of my old Poly lecturers for help as he's a researcher too...one of my tasks on tomorrow's "to do list"...along with those from today that I never did...it's gonna be one helluva busy day for me! I just thought of that yesterday.
I cannot believe the amount of work I've missed out on bidding for...over ÂŁ1k just since Thursday and I could have done most of it if I'd had access to the right material :eek: đ :mad:
I think it will dry up soon though with the end of the academic term looming as it's mostly degree-level law essays to write (lazy beggars should be doing it themselves) so at least I know to take on as much future work as I can during term-time and in the meantime I'll spend my time doing my proofreading course...no rest for the wicked eh?
I wouldn't contemplate doing this type of work without the necessary tools as it's a long time since I did my degree and answered these types of questions as part of my coursework so I'm a litle rusty although I'm sure that once I get into the swing of it again it will come as second nature. To try at this stage would be dangerous cos if I messed up I wouldn't get any further work allocated and I need to avoid shoddy workmanship at all costs to ensure that the work flows in. Plus I've been buried in Family Law for the last 13+ years so my knowledge of other areas of law is extremely limited.
Thanks for responding anyway. I'll keep you posted đ - Contact in PM
MickeyFinn
Messages count : 120Likes count : 0Registration : 30 October 2006Income tax and NI I might be able to help you with but the rest of it made my eyes cross :eek:
Registering with HMRC - depends how you intend to structure things.
If you are going to be earning over ÂŁ20-25k then you are best off with Ltd Co in a lot of respects. Form company, hire accountant to do end of year returns, outsource payroll to pay yourself a low salary (ÂŁ415 per month is fairly usual) and then take the rest as dividends. This was your NI contributions are covered and you pay as little tax as possible. If you don't want to go the ltd co route then register as self employed:
5. Setting up your company :: Freelance UK
Also have a look at:
Should I be Self Employed or a Limited Company? :: Freelance UK
Hope this is of some help.
If you are turning down that much work then get sorted quickly! Freelance work tends to be like this, work like mad and wonder when you will ever sleep and then the next minute it is daytime tv and wondering where the next invoice will come from. Make hay while the sun shines đ - Contact in PM
Jill Bayles
Messages count : 3Likes count : 0Registration : 13 April 2007
Yikes...now I'm even more bamboozled...wasn't going to consider setting up a limited company as all I'm going to be doing is writing a few bits and bobs and receiving a set fee per piece of work...I don't have any set-up costs except maybe the cost of research material and I can deduct that for tax purposes I think. I tried to register as self-employed today but couldn't as I don't have a commencement date and was advised to wait as I have 3 months from commencement to register.MickeyFinn, post: 911 a Ă©crit : Income tax and NI I might be able to help you with but the rest of it made my eyes cross :eek:
Registering with HMRC - depends how you intend to structure things.
If you are going to be earning over ÂŁ20-25k then you are best off with Ltd Co in a lot of respects. Form company, hire accountant to do end of year returns, outsource payroll to pay yourself a low salary (ÂŁ415 per month is fairly usual) and then take the rest as dividends. This was your NI contributions are covered and you pay as little tax as possible. If you don't want to go the ltd co route then register as self employed:
5. Setting up your company :: Freelance UK
Also have a look at:
Should I be Self Employed or a Limited Company? :: Freelance UK
Hope this is of some help.
If you are turning down that much work then get sorted quickly! Freelance work tends to be like this, work like mad and wonder when you will ever sleep and then the next minute it is daytime tv and wondering where the next invoice will come from. Make hay while the sun shines ;)
I've got access to some legal research stuff now but have to wait a while for Uni Law Library Borrowing Applications to be processed which will take about a fortnight and then I'll have a scout round the libraries to see what is available then buy a few cheap up-to-date general law books and I'll be ready to start working.
To be honest I didn't think that the work would entail answering law degree questions for students...that was difficult enough for me to get my head round when I was studying back in the day...all that academic stuff was way over my head and irrelevant to everyday practice as a Solicitor...I thought I'd be writing Family Law articles for legal journals...how wrong I was...so this may not be for me in the long-term, although it will do me for now I suppose. I'll be much happier with my proofreading stuff I reckon, as hopefully I'll be proofreading legal documents and legal articles and books for publication and will be working with another proofreader on a freelance basis.
And now I'm applying for full-time employment as a Court Clerk although I'll still be pursuing the freelance stuff, irrespective of the outcome of that application.
At the moment I don't have an income so need to obtain one before I can shoulder the irregularity of a freelance income and then I'll see how it goes...I need to get a work-life balance and that might come from full or part-time employment plus self-employment...who knows at this juncture.
Well tomorrow is another day...:) đ