For Lawyers

The best work of your life – and still a life.

The meaningful, high‑impact and varied work you crave — on your terms. No sacrifice, hustle, or being boxed in.

We bring energising secondments, a supportive community, and development. You get interesting work and the space to focus on what matters, in and out of work.

That’s the SHIFT way: brilliant people, brilliant work, brilliant lives.

A new-law firm built for humans.


SHIFT Lawyers are:

Respected, experienced, confident and ready to dive in

Value flexibility, autonomy, variety, and a career that flexes with life

10+ years PQE

In-house lawyers, executives, specialists and GCs

Various specialities and backgrounds – private practice, in-house, solo practitioners, and General Counsels

Type of Secondments:

You choose, always – hours, location, length, role

In-house – corporates, public sector, SME businesses, start‑ups, and law firms

BAU legal support and cover

Sole counsel to General Counsel

Projects, technical uplifts or integration, capability building, and strategy

Governance and Co-Sec (via SHIFT Consultancy)

Legal Ops / Tech Optimisation (via SHIFT Consultancy)

What you get:

A Community — social, supportive, mentoring-rich, and full of people who get it

Work that energises, on your terms — your hours, priorities, secondment, ambition, life

Support that actually supports — boundaries protected, needs met, confidence to fly

Our hustle, your opportunities — roles, CPD, careers and new doors

Rooms that energise you — events, connection, inspiration

A balanced life (yay!) — freedom, flexibility, and the space to be brilliant in and out of work.

Apply using the link. We meet, assess fit, and do the usual checks — but we’re looking as much at capability, judgement and adaptability as we are at your CV. We want to know what you want too: the type of work, rhythm, hours, industries, and how life fits around it.

If it’s a mutual yes, we’ll find you a secondment, and you’ll join the SHIFT community.

Secondments vary in length and rhythm, some are short and sharp, some are longer and more embedded. The work is senior, commercial and hands‑on: solving problems, anticipating needs, and delivering outcomes across different clients and industries.

SHIFT lawyers are either fixed‑term employees or independent contractors (for sole practitioners). We source the opportunities, you choose what we put you forward for, the client chooses their lawyer, and we lock it in. You’re paid an hourly or day rate — simple, transparent, predictable, and evolving the longer you work with us. No surprises. Many move contract‑to‑contract; some take breaks; some prefer continuity. Whatever your rhythm, we support it.

And the admin? We handle it. Contracting, paperwork, invoicing, CPD, practising certificates — sorted by SHIFT HQ so you can focus on the work, not the logistics.

SHIFT HQ stays close throughout — checking in, clearing roadblocks, and making sure you have what you need to deliver brilliantly and stay brilliant.

  • Community – a genuine, supportive community of brilliant minds. We inspire, grow, laugh and show up for each other.
  • Authentic –real and human. No pretence or posturing. Just smart people doing brilliant work in a way that works for life.
  • Empower – choice into people’s hands, and enable them to grow the career and life they want.
  • Courage – to shake things up! Together we’ll make work work for humans.
  • Problem solvers – Curious minds. Complex work. From HQ to you, we all like a challenge, but we love cracking them even more.

How it works

Brilliant Experts join SHIFT

Vetted, onboarded, skilled, experienced, and ready to get stuck in.

Clients tell us what they need

Problems, priorities, capacity, expertise, outcomes, and timelines. We scope the solution with – or for – them.

SHIFT HQ expertly matches and creates solution

Expert chooses role, client chooses lawyer. SHIFT HQ makes the connection and manages the paperwork.

Expert seconded, solutions move.

Expert and client focus on what matters. SHIFT HQ supports both throughout.

Outcomes achieved. Problems Solved. Brilliance unlocked.
Careers and clients evolve with us – and as part of our community too.
The team at SHIFT got to know me as an individual, and suggested roles which suit my personality as well as my skillset. They provide education seminars for continuing professional development, social get-togethers, and all the usual support you would expect from a law firm, without any of the drawbacks. It’s the best of both worlds.
Vicki Slater, Alumni SHIFT Consultant
Working with SHIFT was like finding the perfect colleague, boss and friend all rolled into one. Prue has an exceptional ear and will take the time to listen to your values, motivations and career ambitions before recommending any particular course of action. This makes her (and the whole Team) unique in that advice and support is tailored specifically to you. I can’t recommend SHIFT and their kaupapa highly enough.
Charlette Bunn, Alumni SHIFT Consultant
I first approached SHIFT when I was looking for a change in career direction – only I wasn’t sure which way I wanted to go!  Prue took a genuine interest in my situation, had great contacts and gave me the courage to explore options I would not have previously considered.  I’ve since had three roles with SHIFT – each of them a great personal and professional fit.  I couldn’t recommend Prue and the SHIFT Team highly enough!
Claire Woods, Alumni SHIFT Consultant
The SHIFT team are amazing with their network and connections; they are so plugged in to what’s going on across the market. I was also impressed by how much patience and persistence they had to find the ideal role for my requirements, rather than just filling a short-term client need.
The flexibility you have through SHIFT allowed me to work part time, remotely and with the freedom to take off the whole summer. You have that added peace of mind that you’ll then be placed back into a suitable role without fear of being disconnected from the market.
Pip White, Alumni SHIFT Consultant