A Modern Law Firm - Responsive, Personal, Professional & Designed For You
More than a virtual network: real people, real support and a genuine consultant community
At The Jonathan Lea Network (JLN), we believe consultancy should feel as good in practice as it does on paper. That means genuine independence, strong earnings and flexibility, combined with something many consultants quietly miss: a real firm behind them. A team of people who know you, pick up the phone, help solve problems and take pride in making things work smoothly.
Many consultants explore other firms not because the consultancy model is wrong, but because the experience can feel thin or transactional. With the right people and structure in place – up to 85% fee share, prompt payment, modern systems, secure AI tools, and a support team that genuinely goes above and beyond – consultancy becomes calmer, more predictable and far more enjoyable.
We work with consultant solicitors who enjoy autonomy, but value having a team around them – experienced lawyers, responsive support staff and a collaborative network – so they’re never left feeling isolated or on their own.
At JLN, you’re joining a virtual firm with a strong physical presence: retained solicitors and consultants working together, an active internal WhatsApp community where questions are answered quickly, and a culture where collaboration is the norm rather than the exception. It’s consultancy with human connection, built to work quietly and reliably in the background, so you can focus on clients and enjoy your practice, day in and day out.
What Our Consultants Notice First
When consultants join JLN, they often tell us the same things, usually within the first few weeks:
“People actually respond.”
“Things just get sorted.”
“Everyone is so friendly and genuinely helpful.”
“I’m not carrying everything on my own anymore.”
It’s not one standout feature. It’s the combination of responsive people, reliable systems, clear structures and being paid on time – alongside a group of experienced lawyers and support teams who step in when you need them.
A virtual firm that feels human, supportive and genuinely works in practice.
That experience does not happen by accident. At JLN, our support is built around Six Core Areas, designed to make day-to-day practice simpler, more efficient and more rewarding.
1. The Support Behind You: Experienced, Capable & Reliable
Consultancy works best when the firm behind you is competently and professionally run.
At JLN, the operational side of the practice – SRA compliance, billing, client money, AML, insurance, billing and admin – is handled by experienced people and specialist partners who do this day in, day out.
- Professional indemnity insurance is provided under JLN’s firm-wide PII cover
- SRA compliance and regulatory oversight are managed centrally
- Client money, billing and credit control are handled by our billing department and our partnership with The Cashroom, the UK’s leading outsourced legal cashiering provider
You retain control of your work and your clients. We take responsibility for the infrastructure and risk that sits behind it.
2. Technology That Supports How You Actually Work
Our technology is chosen for one reason: to make legal work easier, more accurate, more efficient.
Consultants at JLN work with a modern, cloud-based stack built around tools they already know and trust:
- Google Workspace for email, documents and collaboration
- Clio for practice management, time recording and workflows
- Practical Law for precedents and guidance
There are no VPNs, no remote desktops and no fragile legacy systems.
We also actively support consultants in using AI responsibly and securely, including tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, NotebookLM and Google’s Gemini, with practical guidance on where they add value and how to use them safely in a legal environment.
The aim is speed, clarity and fewer hours lost to admin.
3. A Support Team You Can Speak To – Not a Ticketing System
Behind the systems is a real team, based in a real office, in Sussex, who know the firm and the consultants personally.
Our admin team are trained in legal operations and increasingly supported by AI-enhanced workflows which means routine tasks are handled efficiently, and queries are dealt with quickly and intelligently.
Accounts are overseen in partnership with The Cashroom, giving consultants:
- clear billing
- transparent tracking
- prompt fee-share payments
IT support is provided by Nippy Gecko, who have worked with JLN for over a decade and understand our systems inside out – from device setup to cybersecurity and troubleshooting.
Support at JLN is personal, joined-up and expert. If something needs sorting, you can speak to someone who understands the context.
4. Visibility, Marketing & Growth
Marketing is a big job and one many solicitors simply don’t enjoy.
At JLN, visibility and lead generation are treated as part of the firm’s infrastructure, not an afterthought left to individual consultants.
Our in-house marketing team looks after:
- the firm’s brand and professional presentation
- SEO and content creation to drive inbound enquiries
- social media and digital visibility
- analytics, optimisation and ongoing improvement
- and our beautiful brochures – this one has been designed entirely for you. Simply click below to receive it immediately.
Consultants can receive support with articles, posts, their own social media and thought leadership, without pressure to become full-time marketers.
You still build your own practice. But you do so with a strong brand, professional digital presence and a marketing team behind you.
5. A Real Community, Not Just a Virtual Network
JLN is a virtual firm, but it is also very much a human one.
We have retained solicitors and consultant solicitors working together, supported by a central team, and an active internal community. Our WhatsApp groups mean questions are answered quickly, ideas are shared freely, and collaboration happens naturally.
When consultants put a question out, there are often 40–50 experienced lawyers ready to help, sense-check or collaborate.
That sense of collegiality, and knowing you’re not practising in isolation, is something many consultants value far more than they expected.
6. Clear, Consultant-First Arrangements
We believe consultants do their best work when the framework around them is clear and fair.
Our consultancy arrangements are designed to support:
- clear client ownership
- transparent fee structures (including up to 85% fee share)
- prompt, predictable payment
- proportionate, commercially sensible conflict management
Everything is set up to reduce friction and uncertainty.
In Short: Consultancy With Substance and Humanity
JLN offers consultant solicitors:
- the autonomy and earning potential of consultancy
- the infrastructure of a well-run, regulated firm
- named systems, trusted partners and real people behind them
- a collaborative community, not a transactional platform
All so you can focus on clients, enjoy your work, and practise law in a way that feels sustainable and properly supported.
JLN offers a secure, scalable and highly supportive environment in which to build a thriving consultancy practice.
My experience as a Consultant Solicitor with the Jonathan Lea Network
How to become a successful consultant solicitor
To find out more about becoming a Consultant Solicitor with us, simply click the links below.
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This introductory call is to discuss your matter so we can provide a well-considered quote.
However, please be aware that the free 20 minute call is at our discretion. If you are more looking for advice and guidance on an initial call, we may instead offer a one-hour fixed fee appointment instead.
Our fixed fee appointments are between £250 plus VAT to £350 plus VAT* depending on the complexity of the issues and seniority of solicitor taking the call