The Road Less Traveled: Welcome Package

What's it like to work in-house? The information here will almost certainly not be in your orientation package.

It is the new year, and some of you may be making those dreaded new year’s resolutions. If your resolution is to find an in-house job, best of luck to you. If you are successful in your quest, I have drafted for your consideration this week, a memo regarding exploring some of the intangibles of in-house work; this information will almost certainly not be in your orientation package.

Hello, and welcome to NerdAlert, Inc. (NAI). We are excited to have you join the NerdAlert, Inc. Legal Department (NAIL). To ease your transition to our in-house department, we ask that you review the following lessons we’ve learned in bringing on new lawyers.

1.  Everyone is Your Client, But You Don’t Work for Everyone.

We may assign you to a division today, but we may re-organize everything tomorrow. We expect you to support NAI, but as you grow more competent and knowledgeable about the organization, your colleagues may lean on you to do more than your share. Faced with this dilemma, please note that “That’s not my job” will never win friends and influence people.  But, “That’s not in my wheelhouse, but I think I know who can take care of that for you,” can take you far.

2.  Be Proactive, Not Reactive.

When you were at a firm, you likely received assignments after your client realized it had a problem. Now that you are in-house, your job is to prevent problems. We expect you to see through the enthusiasm of new opportunities and the dull edges of routine to identify landmines and to provide paths to avoid triggering disaster. You will likely find this less rewarding than working on a specific problem, because you will rarely be able to “prove the negative,” (i.e., that you prevented anything from going awry), but that is one of the thankless tasks of being in-house.

3.  Your Job Will Be Easier if You Learn What Your Colleagues Do.

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You are in the Legal Department, but you are part of a larger organization. NAI’s primary purpose is not the practice of law. Legal supports NAI’s goals. Part of your role lies in helping all of NAI get things done. Take the time to get to know your colleagues outside of Legal. Learn what they do. Learn what they can do. This information will be one of the most useful tools in your in-house toolbox. See #1 on this list.

4.  Let Your Colleagues Know What You Can Do.

If you came to us from a law firm, you probably had billable hour requirements. NAIL evaluates your worth differently; the premium is on productivity. NAIL cannot be productive if we are ignored or bypassed by our colleagues. To be productive, NAIL must be relevant (and useful) to our colleagues, who must know that what we can do for them benefits them in their own area or field within NAI. The most valuable benefit we can contribute is to lubricate the organizational machinery, whether internal or external, that allows our colleagues to see their NAI projects to completion. See entries 1-3 on this list as well.

5.  Everyone Here Is Important. Treat Them That Way.

Unlike a law firm, where the receptionist is unlikely to become the managing partner during an associate’s career, in an organization like NAI, it is more than likely that the peons you meet today will be leaders tomorrow or next year. Be aware that those you treat harshly or even dismissively today may be in a different position in the future. You should be kind and professional to everyone, but if the goal of general civility alone is not enough for you, this organizational truth is sufficient justification for good behavior towards all.

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In closing, we note that this list is, of course, not comprehensive. Rather, it presents a taste of the paradigm shift that an attorney must make in transitioning from a law firm to in-house work; and in this regard, NAIL is not unique. We provide this list to you early so that it may guide your training and new relationships here at NAI.*

* P.S. Mike in facilities handles all copier issues. Do not ask Norma in payroll about the copier even though she sits right next to it. Norma has been known to offer frustrated copy-makers the use of her metal letter opener as a tool to remove jammed paper as a source of her own entertainment and to discourage others from asking her about the copier. Call Mike.


Celeste Harrison Forst has practiced in small and mid-sized firms and is now in-house at a large manufacturing and technology company where she receives daily hugs from her colleagues. You can reach Celeste directly at C.harrisonforst@gmail.com.