One of the highest-paid freelance niches you could get into is legal writing. As some law firms delegate a part of their admin and creative work to remote staffers, there is ample opportunity for you to enter the market and offer your expertise, whether it involves drafting legal articles for law practitioners or proofreading corporate communication plans and agreements on behalf of corporate clients.
However, legal writing is far from being an easy field to enter. It’s highly technical, and it requires more than just good writing to pull off. For the most part, you will need to have experience as a paralegal or at least some knowledge of legal processes and terminology. Your level of competence as a legal writer is gauged by how impressive a writing portfolio you put together.
Build a Legal Writing Portfolio With No Legal Experience
If you’re new to this branch of freelance writing, here’s how to build a portfolio that makes you stand out, even if you do not have the experience.
Understand What Legal Writing Is
Zero experience in legal writing? That’s all right. It doesn’t mean you can’t break into the nice. While it helps if you already have experience in the field, you could still succeed so long as you understand the basics of legal writing. Keep in mind that it isn’t always about drafting contracts and agreements. You can also work on legal briefs and crafting summaries of case laws.
What’s more, you may also prepare promotional material such as blogs and other website content for a law firm. Click here for a sample of website copy promoting the services of a Canadian law firm.
Legal writing encompasses a wide range of material, some of which requires the same technical expertise as a law graduate. Then again, there are writing tasks you could get into if you’re more of a generalist. You can choose from different sub-niches, each requiring certain levels of knowledge and experience. Here are the top sub-niches you can try out:
- Contract writing: You are tasked with drafting agreements for corporate and non-corporate scenarios.
- Legal journalism: You get to write about legal issues in your country or abroad and, to some extent, provide context and analysis.
- Brief drafting: Lawyers often delegate the process of crafting legal arguments to remote writers, so you might want to be a brief writer. You just have to be detail-oriented and persuasive in your craft.
- Estate plan writing: In this niche, you get to draft and analyze wills and estates of legal clients who are looking to transfer their assets to their next of kin.
- Legal copywriting: As part of a law firm’s marketing team, you are responsible for writing persuasive online content that educates clients and pushes them towards a consultation.
By knowing the kind of legal writer you want to become, you can focus on building a writing portfolio that’s guaranteed to help you land lucrative gigs in your chosen niche.
Start with What You Can Control: Self-Initiated Writing
Once you have decided to become a legal writer, you will need to start building a portfolio that demonstrates your level of understanding of the field. It can be difficult if you lack connections in the legal world, but that doesn’t mean you can hone the craft from scratch.
The best way to do this is to expose yourself to reputable legal websites and conduct in-depth research on specific legal topics, ranging from family law to tort cases. Stay up-to-date about the latest legal issues of the day and start a blog. Having your own writing platform will help you practice your skills and provide a good source for writing samples. In other words: Your online portfolio.
For starters, consider publishing on platforms like Medium where you write opinion pieces on legal issues. Look up current trends with major legal implications, such as the relationship between generative AI and copyright laws. Through this, you also get to hone your research skills and develop a familiarity with legal language you might be unfamiliar with. Just be sure to check out existing blogs for ideas you can explore.
Another great platform you can try out is Substack. If you want to dabble more in legal journalism, the platform can serve as a portfolio showcasing your best editorial work. If you want to set yourself up as a source of knowledge, use Substack as a means to write explainers on legal concepts.
In the absence of a network of legal and corporate clients, your best bet is to write for yourself. Consider starting your blog and building a body of work you can share with future clients.
Take Free or Low-Cost Online Courses
While there’s much to gain from learning by yourself, being mentored by experienced legal writers could make a huge difference in improving the quality and quantity of your portfolio. For this, consider searching for online courses focusing on legal writing.
These courses may cover the basics of the field, offering exercises and workshops to help you develop your skills. Some of them may require a fee if you want to pursue advanced lessons, but if your goal is to build a working portfolio, then you would be better off taking on free courses. Try to explore the following platforms for affordable courses on legal writing that will help kickstart your craft:
Some of these platforms may require a subscription fee, but consider it an investment in yourself and your career.
Volunteer or Contribute to Legal Blogs and Nonprofits
As you build your skills through blogging and learning through online courses, you will need to gain more exposure. This is where volunteering comes in. While you might not get paid for your services, save for allowances or freebies, these opportunities can serve as a training ground for improving your skills.
Additionally, lending your legal writing expertise to nonprofits can help you build valuable connections within the legal industry. By maintaining a strong portfolio that showcases your past work and staying visible in professional circles, you’ll gradually build the reputation and relationships that can lead to future client opportunities.
When it comes to websites that invite contributors, there are several that may or may not award a fee for the articles you submit. If you’re Canadian with a background in the country’s legal system, check out sites like LawNow.org that accept a wide range of legal topics, from criminal law to estate planning.
If you’re still in law school but want to earn extra money through a freelance legal writing gig, renowned organizations like Lawyers Without Borders are actively seeking volunteer interns who can conduct legal and non-legal research. Part of the experience also involves writing articles on topics related to the organization’s advocacies, so it can be a great way for you to build a legal portfolio that’s hard to pass up.
Launch Your Legal Writing Career
You don’t have to be a lawyer to break into legal writing, but success demands dedication to building a compelling portfolio and establishing your credibility in the field. The legal writing market rewards expertise, precision, and professionalism—qualities that can translate into substantial income for writers willing to master this challenging but lucrative specialty.
With these strategies as your foundation, you’re not just entering legal writing—you’re positioning yourself to command premium rates in one of the most well-compensated niches in professional writing.
