Source: https://deftridge.com/side-work/in-house-lawyer/ Title: Side work for In-House Lawyers | Deftridge Summary: Part-time roles for in-house lawyers: what they pay per hour, which tasks are open and how to start in about five hours a week. Side work for In-House Lawyers · **Updated November 3, 2026** # Side work for In-House Lawyers In-House Lawyer is one of the titles we hear most. These are the part-time roles where your experience carries over, what they pay per hour, and the tasks open now. About five hours a week, next to your main job. **3** roles that fit an in-house lawyer **751** open tasks in those roles **$115/hr** typical US rate, Commercial Contract Reviewer **5 h** a week is enough By [Lauren Mitchell](https://deftridge.com/team/lauren-mitchell/), Director, Legal · Edited by [Helena Voss](https://deftridge.com/team/helena-voss/) · Published 2 November 2026 ## Side work as an in-house lawyer: what to know In-house lawyers take part-time work as reviewers and advisers: commercial contract review against a playbook, a privacy notice update, policy drafting, or a few hours a month as outside counsel for a small company without its own lawyer. Admission in the task's jurisdiction is required, and the brief states it. Most in-house contracts restrict outside legal practice, so read yours first and ask for written consent if it is required. Professional rules on insurance and conflicts also apply to side work. The strongest profiles name the contract types and industries the lawyer knows, and the turnaround they can offer. In our data: 751 open tasks across the 3 roles that fit an in-house lawyer, 61% of them remote. The typical senior rate for Commercial Contract Reviewer is $115 in the US, £45 in the UK, CA$90 in Canada and €60 in Germany an hour, before the company's 15% fee. The other roles that fit are Terms & Policies Drafter, Fractional General Counsel. Most of these tasks are sized for 3 to 10 hours a week. Rates come from official wage statistics aged to October 2026; see [the full table by country](https://deftridge.com/rates/commercial-contract-reviewer/). ## Where an in-house lawyer's experience fits The best match is first. Each role page shows the rate by country and level. - [504 open tasks Commercial Contract Reviewer Reviews and redlines NDAs, MSAs and order forms against a company playbook. typical US rate $115/hr](https://deftridge.com/jobs/commercial-contract-reviewer/) - [87 open tasks Terms & Policies Drafter Drafts terms of service, privacy notices and customer-facing policies. typical US rate $145/hr](https://deftridge.com/jobs/terms-and-policies-drafter/) - [160 open tasks Fractional General Counsel Part-time in-house counsel: contracts, risk, policy and advice for a leadership team. typical US rate $245/hr](https://deftridge.com/jobs/fractional-general-counsel/) ## Open now for an in-house lawyer Tasks in the roles above, newest first, each with the hourly rate. One-off Posted Nov 2 ### [Renewal and Notice Calendar (Excel)](https://deftridge.com/job/renewal-and-notice-calendar-germany-dt-1571891/) Manager · Commercial Contract Reviewer Series B B2B software company for sales teams · 201–500 employees **€70–€82** / hour About €300–€760 in total - about 7 h in total - Remote · anywhere in the EU - Starts within 7 days - Top 25% for the role [View task](https://deftridge.com/job/renewal-and-notice-calendar-germany-dt-1571891/) One-off Posted Nov 2 ### [Signature Process and Authority Review](https://deftridge.com/job/signature-process-and-authority-review-mannheim-dt-3707097/) Manager · Commercial Contract Reviewer Food-delivery company in craft beverages · 201–500 employees **€71–€84** / hour About €160–€390 in total - about 4 h in total - Hybrid · Mannheim - Starts next week - Top 25% for the role [View task](https://deftridge.com/job/signature-process-and-authority-review-mannheim-dt-3707097/) Bundle Posted Nov 2 ### [Contract Abstraction (Ironclad)](https://deftridge.com/job/contract-abstraction-hagen-dt-6752192/) Manager · Commercial Contract Reviewer Series C vertical software provider for manufacturers · 201–500 employees **€70–€85** / hour About €780–€1,860 a month - 10–24 h a month - Hybrid · Hagen - Starts next week - Top 25% for the role [View task](https://deftridge.com/job/contract-abstraction-hagen-dt-6752192/) One-off Posted Nov 2 ### [MSA and Order Form Review](https://deftridge.com/job/msa-and-order-form-review-karlsruhe-dt-8323371/) Manager · Commercial Contract Reviewer Real-estate services firm · 5,000+ employees **€73–€85** / hour About €240–€630 in total - about 6 h in total - Hybrid · Karlsruhe - Starts within 7 days - Top 25% for the role - English and German [View task](https://deftridge.com/job/msa-and-order-form-review-karlsruhe-dt-8323371/) Expert hour Posted Nov 2 ### [General Counsel Advisory Hour](https://deftridge.com/job/general-counsel-advisory-hour-united-states-dt-9364334/) Director · Fractional General Counsel Series C crypto payments company in custody · 201–500 employees **$236–$294** / hour About $270 for the hour - 1 hour - Remote · United States - Starts next week - Top 25% for the role [View task](https://deftridge.com/job/general-counsel-advisory-hour-united-states-dt-9364334/) One-off Posted Nov 2 ### [Plain-Language Summary](https://deftridge.com/job/plain-language-summary-london-dt-9880167/) Manager · Terms & Policies Drafter Space-technology company making satellite parts · 201–500 employees **£63–£75** / hour About £140–£280 in total - about 3 h in total - Hybrid · London - Starts within 2 weeks - Top 25% for the role [View task](https://deftridge.com/job/plain-language-summary-london-dt-9880167/) ## Before you take side work Three checks that take ten minutes. - Read the outside-work, conflict-of-interest and confidentiality clauses in your employment contract. If it asks for consent, ask in writing. - Do not take tasks from a direct competitor of your employer. - Use your own equipment and your own time. [Read the guide](https://deftridge.com/guides/check-your-contract-before-side-work/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job.