Vario, the flexible lawyer service from Pinsent Masons, has started trading in Australia after announcing its intention to launch earlier this year. The company has been on the lookout for lawyers which fit its criteria for flexible working - with some key differences in personality from the average Vario lawyer in the UK. The company plan to have 50-80 contract lawyers on their books by April 2018.  

Cultural differences

Matthew Kay, Director of Vario, said despite the huge success of Vario in the UK, rolling out an exact mirror service offering in Australia was never an option as a more tailored and culturally-relevant service was required. 'We’ve done a great deal of research to ensure Vario’s offering works for the Australian market.  As part of this process, a business psychology company has carefully revised Vario’s personality test for Australian lawyers to take when they first join Vario.'

Personality 

Being a successful freelance lawyer in Australia and UK requires some specific personality traits such as being good under pressure, socially confident and having strong emotional intelligence alongside being a top-quality lawyer with former experience working in a leading firm. 'Certainly, Varios in both the UK and Australia are relaxed, resilient and flexible; however there are some small but important differences.  Our research shows that Australian lawyers are more straight-forward in their communication style, and a more relaxed, collegial-style culture pervades corporate Australia meaning hierarchy is less accepted,' Mr Matthew added.

Record revenues

In the UK Vario has announced record revenues, with growth for FY17 in the UK of 30 per cent and the number of high-quality, legal professionals on Vario’s books doubling to over 300. This Australian launch marks Vario’s first step in an ambitious plan to grow its best-of-breed contract lawyering service internationally.