While relationships are probably important to law practice generally, I have seen how they are crucial for in-house corporate counsel.
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One of my mentees just started his first in-house corporate counsel role and asked me for transition tips, especially for a lawyer coming from a law firm. BTW, congratulations on getting the job, you must have know the hiring process. Companies like candidates that can get up to speed quickly, it helps corporate departments save on costs.
First, what is an in-house corporate counsel role and how do I get there? Just to give everyone some background, in-house counsel lawyers (also known as in-house attorneys) work directly for a company and provide legal advice on a variety of business matters related to the company.
Aspiring in-house attorneys should try to gain some experience through internships or working at a law firm before moving in-house. This gives you a larger breath of experience and a chance to experience different matters from a larger variety of clients.
Here are a few tips from me on how to get off to a good start working as an in-house lawyer.
1. Understanding the In-House Counsel Career Path
Transitioning from a law firm to an in-house counsel role can be a significant shift, and understanding the career path is important for success. In-house counsel lawyers work directly for a company, providing legal advice and guidance on various business matters. Unlike law firms, where you might specialize in a specific practice area, in-house roles often require a broader understanding of the business and its goals.
In-house counsel can specialize in areas such as intellectual property, corporate law, or employment law, and they can work across various industries, including technology, finance, and healthcare. The career progression can vary greatly depending on the company, industry, and individual goals. Some in-house lawyers might start in a generalist role and later specialize, while others might move into senior positions like general counsel or chief legal officer.
To thrive as an in-house counsel, it’s important to have a deep understanding of the business and its objectives. Providing practical legal advice that aligns with the company’s goals is key. Effective communication with business leaders, employees, and outside counsel is also important and building strong relationships within the company can help you become a trusted advisor and integral part of the business.
2. Acknowledge That Relationships Are Everything for In House Counsel
From a very practical perspective, here’s the difference between law firms and corporations. You can be a jerk, but a very smart jerk, and still have a job at a law firm — if you bill a lot of hours or have a book of business. However, if you are a jerk at a company, your clients will simply not come to you. They will seek advice from someone else (also known as internal forum shopping). Or if they have to come to you because their manager said so, they may not come as quickly or may withhold information, undermining the value you can bring.
So, while chatting about your weekend while grabbing coffee or lunch with colleagues (not potential clients) was generally frowned on at a big law firm, it is fundamental to building relationships at a company as an in-house corporate counsel.
You should be introducing yourself, getting to know others, and engaging in small talk. While this sounds a bit simplistic, as in-house corporate counsel you need to be generally liked in addition to being respected as a subject matter expert. This is why my first suggestion is to schedule 15- to 20-minute coffee chats with various people you meet — whether colleague or client — especially if they have been with the company for a while. Do this while you are not yet overwhelmed with work.
During the chats, you want to get a sense of what the company culture is really like, what they love about what they do, and what they love about the company. Maybe ask them who their favorite lawyer has been to work with and why (and if there was a least favorite, why).
As you close out, ask if they have any advice or resources for someone new like you. And, of course, show immense gratitude and offer yourself as a future resource.
3. Listen, Learn, and Take a Lot of Notes
While this may sound obvious, my second tip is to get a notebook that is easy to carry and carry that notebook with you to every meeting to jot down notes. I would probably do this for any new job, but I especially recommend it since going in-house itself is completely new. Taking detailed notes can help you provide actionable and effective business solutions that align with the company’s goals. The first 90 days in-house may feel like you’re drinking from a firehose, especially as you are trying to learn about the company, the legal department, your specific team and your own role — all at the same time. The reason for taking notes is that you will receive a lot of information, and you won’t have the experience or context to know if it’s important or not, or whether you should remember it or not. So, for now, just jot it down. You can organize and understand later.
For now, you want to listen and learn as much as you can (which is also related to scheduling those 15-minute chats).
What are some things you might want to jot down?
Here are ten things you might want to jot down during your first few weeks:
- Names and roles of the people you meet.
- Acronyms, terms and commonly used jargon.
- Facts about the company generally — like how many employees there are, how many locations and different parts of the business.
- Resources you hear of that you can explore later.
4. Take Time to Explore Resources and Set Up Your Systems for Law Firms
My last tip for setting yourself up for success as in-house corporate counsel is to explore internal and external resources while you have the time to do it and set up your systems. Here are some resources you may want to find, explore or flag for future use:
- Sign up for law firm alerts, blogs and publications. This is a great way to stay on top of developments in the law that your clients will expect you to know.
- Sign up for any subscriptions (like industry publications) or bar associations that your company pays for. For example, the Association of Corporate Counsel has been instrumental for me.
- Create Google Alerts for your company.
- Read company policies, procedures and practices.
- Learn and explore the document management system.
- Sign up for Business Partnering Groups or Employment Resource Groups, or the company Slack or Yammer, to stay plugged in and find out about formal mentoring programs so you can learn more about the company.
When I say invest some time in setting up your systems, what I mean is, how do you envision organizing and managing your work? This will evolve, but it helps to think about it strategically. For example:
- Will you have separate notebooks (whether virtual or hard copy) for each of your clients or projects?
- Will you use Microsoft Tasks, Planner and To-Do (or other apps) to stay on top of your growing to-do list?
- Where and how will you keep your done list? A done list is especially helpful when you are in-house because you will likely no longer have billables or a 20-page brief or motion to show how you’ve been spending your time.
- How will you demonstrate your value?
5. Quality of Life as an In-House Lawyer
One of the biggest perks of moving in-house is the potential for a better work life balance. Many in-house lawyers experience more regular hours than their law firm counterparts so they can plan their personal and professional lives better.
In-house jobs don’t require billing hours so less stress and more time to focus on giving good legal advice. This can lead to a more enjoyable and fulfilling work experience. Plus in-house lawyers have more autonomy to make decisions and own their work which leads to a greater sense of achievement.
In-house counsel compensation is usually more stable and regular as they are paid a salary not billable hours. This stability can be a big plus. Plus there are plenty of opportunities for growth within in-house legal teams. Many lawyers move up the career ladder to become general counsel or chief legal officer.
Overall quality of life as an in-house lawyer can be great. But you need to find a company and role that aligns with your personal goals and values to really enjoy the in-house life.
Before I Forget …
Congrats on joining the in-house profession! It is definitely different from working in a law firm, but it can be immensely rewarding getting to see how your legal advice is implemented and preventing problems in the first place.
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