Professional support lawyer

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The professional support lawyer (PSL) role, also known as Knowledge Lawyer role, has its origins in the United Kingdom and is a non client-facing resource to provide complex problem solving, research, training, and strategic market positioning within a given practice area in support of fee-earning lawyers. PSL's often advise fee-earning lawyers on complex matters and frontier legal developments; design and deliver training for fee-earners on legal theory, precedent, and trends; and prepare articles and client-briefs to both support business development and keep internal and external clients appraised of major new trends.

Contents


Background

The idea of professional support lawyers began in the 1990s in English law offices. [1] PSLs, usually former senior fee-earners, are tasked with managing the knowledge function of a legal practice area and leading the learning and development of their practice group. PSLs are non-fee earning, providing technical expertise and experience to fee-earners to help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of fee-earning work. This can include helping fee-earners to problem-solve on complex legal matters within frontier areas; aiding fee-earning lawyers to stay up-to-date with legal developments; helping to assess risk on fee-earning matters; providing training for fee-earning lawyers at all levels; and externally facing knowledge products (client briefs, workshops, trainings etc.) to support business development. The role of PSL has evolved significantly since its origins in Magic Circle firms in the UK, and is often considered a prestigious alternative to fee-earning work for senior, actively-registered lawyers, who are deemed to be technically excellent. [2]


Job description

The role of a PSL is different from firm to firm. Common responsibilities include:


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References

Further reading