Against the In-House Law Firm: Elizabeth’s Story

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types of professional young women at the computer in the office; he is wearing a red sweater and red glasses

This one is for lawyers – if you’ve ever thought about (and specifically which one is the best) against the in-house law firm, Elizabeth offered to share her thoughts on two jobs with us. Many thanks to Elizabeth! – Floor

After working in law firms for more than a decade, I moved into an in-house position almost two years ago. It was a great move for me, both personally and professionally, and I get a lot of questions from friends who are considering similar moves. The most frequently asked questions are 1) how I got the job and 2) whether internal life is better than law firm life.

How Did I Find My In-Company Job?

The short answer to how I got to work is that when the company was a client at my previous firm and there were some retirements and leadership transitions, the people I had worked with and socialized with for years were now in charge. They called and asked me to join them and it was a really great fit.

If I could give people any advice early in their careers, it would be that there is real value in building relationships with your junior coworkers. I’ve been lucky to have great mentors and sponsors, but some of my best opportunities have come because my colleagues know I’m doing well and I like to be around.

As for whether in-house life is “better” than law firm life, the answer is better for me but not for everyone!

In-house and Law Firm: Which Is Best?

Pros of In-Company Positions

Goodbye, billable hours

Tracking your life in six-minute increments is an absolutely insane way to live.

As a junior partner, I spent a lot of time working with partners, serving on committees, and doing unbilled hard management work. These things were an essential part of the job, but they weren’t “counted” because they couldn’t be billed, so I was working nights and weekends to make up for it.

Now I don’t have to parse which parts of my job are “counted” and which are not. I do my job and when I’m done I go home.

(And this is always before 18:00)

only one customer

Working for a large number of clients means you are constantly trying to figure out whose job is most urgent at any given time. When you have a client, it’s much simpler.

Also, for argument’s sake, assuming that every client has a real legal “emergency” once a year, and you’re working with 10-15 clients, once that month your schedule will completely crash without warning and then you’ll be wasted. few days to clean up the mess. With a client, there is much less unpredictability.

learn the job

I’ve always thought that the best lawyers are those who understand their client’s business well, but this can be difficult when juggling a large number of clients.

Much easier when working in the same building. And because you know people and what they’re working on, small issues can be brought up to you before they become big issues.

Cons of In-Company Positions

Monetary

My current salary/benefit package is basically equivalent to what I earned when I left my company, which is very fair and very good. In the long run, I probably won’t be able to reach the level that a senior partner at a law firm would earn, but on the other hand, I won’t be putting in the same hours.

Sometimes you need a quick answer

As a junior associate at a large law firm, you are often given a complex question and then you have hours to research it and provide a nuanced answer. As an in-house consultant, you should sometimes have no problem giving the best answer you can based on the limited knowledge and time you have.

Fortunately, legit folks in the industry often know which questions take hours of research to get exactly right, and which you can answer right away.

(Although I have to explain occasionally that there are certain areas of expertise that I’m too nervous to even think of answering. ERISA folks, your field of practice is scary.)

It’s been an adjustment, but I think I’m slowly getting more confident and saying, “Based on my past experience, the answer is X. If you want me to be 100% sure, I’ll need some more time.”

Readers, have you researched corporate and law firm life? What conclusions did you draw for yourself – and what do you see about your friends and colleagues who made the choice?