Portrait of a freelancer: Jennifer Guay
<p>Portrait of a freelancer - Meet inspiring people who chose to make a living out of independent work. Through a distinctly human perspective, discover their story, and the uniqueness of their lifestyle & challenges.</p>
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<p><strong>Who are you and what do you do?</strong></p>
<p>Ms. Jennifer Guay, I am a lawyer and I practice mainly in criminal, civil and administrative law. I also offer support in family law. My motto is to make justice accessible for everyone, and that’s why I give conferences as a lawyer with Éducaloi and I developed the legal workshops "Pratique tes droits" (practice your rights) which I offer in schools, groups, and various organizations.</p>
<p><strong>How did you become self-employed?</strong></p>
<p>I wanted to be a lawyer since the age of five... and I also knew that I wanted to be my own boss, thus when I had to choose where to do my internships during my studies, I selected groups of independent lawyers. It was obvious, for me, to work as a freelancer right after my swearing.</p>
<p><strong>What represents the most difficult part of self-employment?</strong></p>
<p>I would say seclusion. With "Me Jennifer Guay, lawyer", I took off by myself, with my own office, my own name on my business cards; I wasn’t part of a grouping. For that reason, the working environment, the collegiality with colleagues in the day-to-day… I missed all that, especially at the beginning of my practice.</p>
<p>Another challenging aspect as a freelancer is having to put extra energy and time to make sure my work is paid for. Unlike large firms, I don’t have an accounting department that deals with the clients who do not pay. The important thing is to establish a fee agreement with my clients, to bill regularly, to make a rigorous follow-up and not be afraid to get back to them if I see any issue coming in about payment because all work deserves to be paid.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us about your work routine.</strong></p>
<p>With my job, there is no real routine; every day is different. One day, I meet several clients, the next I go to the court and give a conference or one of my legal workshops. Otherwise, I prepare my files. Different tasks, in different files, in different branches of law... that's one of my favorite things with my job!</p>
<p>Ultimately, you have to be structured: a paper and electronic diary, a list of tasks, an efficient system for tracking files and regularly filing the paperwork (especially with my job).</p>
<p><strong>What is your favorite aspect of freelancing?</strong></p>
<p>Freedom. I’m free to choose my clients and my files, choose my work schedule, offer a competitive rate to my clients to make justice accessible for everyone and free to offer flexible appointment times. In short, I am my own boss.</p>
<p>Being on my own also mean that I take care of my clients from A to Z, there is no intermediate than the receptionist to welcome them to the office. As we say as lawyers, it’s me who lead the files from the beginning to the end, and it's exactly what I wanted!</p>
<p><strong>What are the online tools you could not live without?</strong></p>
<p>Social media. On Facebook, I have a professional page and a group on which I share a lot of legal information in different branches of law. My motto is to make justice accessible, this is one of the ways at my disposal. Additionally, the platform « Go Rendez-vous » makes it easy to make appointments and send reminders to my clients.</p>
<p><strong>How do you find new customers?</strong></p>
<p>Being a lawyer is a word-of-mouth job, so it's arduous as a freelancer to develop a customer base right from the start. I have clients through the referral service of my professional association, which matches a person with legal needs with a lawyer having the required skills in the specific branch of law. Also, my presence on social media allowed me to make myself known. Besides, I also provide support services to lawyers, for example, in research, writing or litigation preparation; so a part of my clientele consists of other lawyers.</p>
<p><strong>How can we contact you?</strong></p>
<p>On Facebook, you can read my different legal topos on my professional page "Jennifer Guay, avocate" and on my group "Jennifer Guay, avocate (Le groupe)". You can also make an appointment for a legal consultation.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer.Guay.avocate/">https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer.Guay.avocate/</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/769100309946633/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/769100309946633/</a></p>
<p>You can fill out a contact form directly at this address: <a href="https://jennifer-guay-avocate.business.site/">https://www.jenniferguayavocate.com</a></p>
<p>You can also find me on the website « Juris Référence »:</p>
<p><a href="https://services.jurisreference.ca/fr/repertoire-des-avocats/profil/3257-jennifer-guay">https://services.jurisreference.ca/fr/repertoire-des-avocats/profil/3257-jennifer-guay</a></p>
<p><strong>To conclude, what would you say to all of those who want to start as a freelancer?</strong></p>
<p>This is undoubtedly not a decision to take lightly, but don’t wait for the right time since there is none! If that's what you genuinely want, go for it!</p>