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Businesses across the globe are growing fast, and legal teams are under pressure to keep pace. This growth can outstrip the capacity and capability of in-house and private practice teams, which is where RAYNE, a UAE-based specialist in flexible legal solutions, steps in.
A gap in the legal market
Launched two years ago by Sarah Jones and Oliver Berger, the company has grown to a team of over 60 legal consultants. RAYNE connects leading businesses, such as Huda Beauty and Dubai Holdings, with legal consultants seeking flexible work.
“I kept spotting a clear gap in the legal market,” says Jones. “RAYNE was born out of that realisation.”
“I saw so many talented legal professionals craving more flexibility and autonomy while companies struggled to access the right expertise at the right price,” she continues. “With RAYNE we have built a model that bridges both sides—helping professionals design their careers on their terms while providing legal teams with top-tier talent exactly when they need it.”
Jones observed this during her time in the corporate world. She started at Deloitte in London, specialising in mergers & acquisitions (M&A), then moved to Dubai with the firm.
“Finance and law are some of the most rigorous verticals involving long working hours,” she says. “I saw this first-hand and I could not shake the feeling that there was a better way—to plug the gap between freelancing and working all hours and create a space for professionals within a rigid structure to take on high-level, impactful work, but also be available for, say, sports day.”
Jones left corporate life some years later. “I knew that I did not quite fit in the corporate world, and that I was not fulfilling my purpose,” she reflects. “I felt trapped.”
“I always had the entrepreneurial urge,” she continues. “I wanted to create something.”
She set up her first business, an e-commerce platform for mums, and scaled that to over 120 employees across six countries. After this, she went into consulting for several technology companies.
“If you have the desire to build something, listen to that instinct,” she says. “The entrepreneurial spark is hard to ignore once it is there. For me, it has always been about building things—bringing ideas to life, working with driven people, and scaling businesses that solve real problems.”
Part of her push for a flexible work approach is driven by her being a mother of five young children. “It has completely shaped how I think about work and life,” she says. “I know how important it is to have control over your time, and I love that we can help other people find that balance too.”
RAYNE in action
RAYNE is highly selective about who onboards. “I would say we probably onboard one out of ten people that apply to us,” she reveals.
Each lawyer goes through a rigorous onboarding process, typically involving about two to four interviews followed by reference checks, and in some cases, an assessment centre. “Once they join, it is a real partnership,” says Jones, whose team is currently onboarding around two to three legal consultants a week. “We get to know them, match them with roles that suit their experience and ambitions, and bring them new opportunities when they are ready for their next project.”
“For our clients, we are a plug-and-play solution,” she adds. “If you need short-term cover for parental leave, specialist expertise for a transaction, or additional in-house capacity during busy periods, we respond quickly with highly experienced professionals. Because our clients trust the quality of our team, placements often kick off within days of us getting the call, and many of our consultants are invited back for future engagements.”
RAYNE stays involved throughout the process ensuring both consultants and clients are supported with regular check-ins. “It is about building real partnerships that last, not quick, transactional solutions,” she says.
While the model itself is highly advantageous, success hinges on clearly defined expectations from the outset.
“The biggest advantage is access to top-tier expertise, in-house, exactly when you need it, without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire,” she explains. “Companies can scale their legal support up or down as needed, whether it is for a specific project or a critical period. For three-to-12-month requirements, it is often more cost-effective than hiring someone permanently.”
“We are typically about an eighth of the price of a law firm—and we are providing top lawyers,” she adds.
“The downside is not about the model itself—it is about making sure there is a clear understanding of scope and expectations. Investing time upfront to align on both sides is the key to success.”
The ideal consultant
“The best lawyers for flexible placements are the ones who can adapt, dive in, and make a difference,” says Jones. “They do not need a lot of hand-holding. They thrive in fast-paced, ever-changing projects, and do not need long-term commitments to stay motivated.”
All of RAYNE’s legal consultants have worked both in law firms and in-house, with typically around eight to ten years of post-qualification experience (PQE). “We need them to have versatility, to get how different environments work, and be able to deliver from day one,” she says, adding: “We tend to advise clients to go for more senior lawyers than what they need, just because a junior lawyer is not going to be able to add a lot of value very quickly, which is what our clients need us for.”
In return, they enjoy the flexibility to select the projects they work on, allowing many to pursue passions as creative as scuba diving or dedicate more time to their families.
“I think what sets RAYNE apart is how deeply we care about both our consultants and clients,” says Jones. “Our consultants are truly part of our team—we get to know them personally, and we are invested in their careers.”
Growth and demand
RAYNE has a strong regional focus, and both Jones and Berger have each been based in Dubai for over 14 years.
“We understand the nuances of the region, and they are different to other parts of the world,” says Jones. “We make sure we place the right people in the right businesses, and I think that sets us apart from the global players.”
The company is receiving significant interest from clients in Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom reforms its rules to allow outside legal work, she reveals. There is also demand among clients for Arabic-speaking lawyers.
In terms of practice areas, RAYNE operates across all areas of law, with corporate and commercial placements being the most in demand. Jones notes that while these remain the core focus, the company supports clients across a broad range of legal specialisms. “We have to make sure that if a client comes to us, we have the right levels and specialities to be able to service them quickly. We also have to make sure that if a consultant comes to us that we have the right work for them. We have to find a balance, especially as we are growing so quickly,” says Jones.
Another growth area for the business driven by client demand is for consultants in legal operations, which RAYNE has recently branched into. “Companies are realising the importance of efficient legal operations—managing workflows, streamlining processes and keeping compliance in check,” she says. “We are seeing demand particularly from inhouse teams asking for specialists who can make everything run smoothly, harness AI tools and so on. Legal ops consultants are the bridge between strategy and execution, and that demand is growing rapidly.”
Looking ahead
Jones says their focus in the year ahead is to scale the business sustainably while continuing to build relationships. “It is all about maintaining the quality and trust we have established, while trying to bring this new model to as many potential consultants and clients as possible,” she says.
Jones encourages prospective RAYNE consultants get to know how the company works in case they ever find themselves in a position where they feel locked in, so they know there is another option available to them which does not require them to leave the industry.
“We want lawyers to know about us so that when it is the right time for them to find more flexible work, they know there is a business like ours that can offer them a variety of placements, but still be paid at the top of their game.”
This article was first published in the March 2025 print issue of Law Middle East.
