The Road Not Taken: Inside Out - From Firm To In-House

Do you want a little more insight into the world of organizations that could potentially be your client, or do you fantasize about moving in-house?

For those of you who work at a firm, do you fantasize about moving in-house? Do you wonder whether the skills you have developed as a firm attorney are easily translatable to in-house work? Do you hope one of your clients will one day say to you, “We like you so much.  Won’t you come join us?” If  you are content at your firm, perhaps you want a little more insight to the world of organizations that could potentially be your client.

Shawn Harju, General Counsel for Dunkin and Bush, Inc. an industrial services company in Kirkland, Washington, is living the fantasy of many firm lawyers. This is Part 1 of my email conversation with Shawn, who was kind enough to share her insights about her career, her move in house, and what she has learned in her time as a legal secretary, paralegal, associate, shareholder, and now General Counsel. Comments are off for these two columns, but will be back on in two weeks.

Shawn has been in her position as General Counsel for the past year. Prior to working for Dunkin and Bush she was a shareholder at a law firm in Seattle. The company was a client and she got to know them in a professional capacity. Dunkin and Bush did not have a general counsel at the time and created the position for her.

When I asked her to describe her job duties, she told me her specific job duties are not specified in writing. She explained, “When I accepted the position of General Counsel just over a year ago, the CEO and I agreed that we would not put my job duties in writing as we did not want to limit the areas in which I might be involved.  Our concern was that, if we put anything in writing, individuals within the company may not approach me if they thought something was outside that written job description.  This was of particular concern due to the age of the company (in business over 70 years) and the longstanding employees who were suspicious of why an attorney was now being added to the team.  We wanted to make me as approachable as possible to everyone.”

“That being said, one of my primary roles is supervising the contracts process for the company, which includes revising and negotiating contracts with customers and vendors as well as educating our personnel on practical steps that are required under the various contracts.”

The lack of defined job duties is actually a benefit to Shawn because it allows her access to different areas and issues. “I tended to get bored as a member of a law firm as I often felt like I was expected to work within a particular area.  I became an attorney because I saw it as a career in which I would not be bored.  That was not the case at the law firm.  I also enjoy the fact that as General Counsel, I can be involved in all aspects of the bigger picture.  I am not limited to writing a brief or researching a legal issue.  This allows me to utilize skills I have learned over the entirety of my career — from legal secretary to paralegal to attorney.”

Given that the position did not exist before Shawn filled it, her position entails the standard challenges a general counsel faces, plus the challenges of establishing her role in the organization. One of the biggest challenges she faces is getting personnel to come to her with issues. She also finds it challenging to ensure that she is included in updates and notifications of ongoing issues. “Although it has improved over the year I have been here, I still find myself sometimes finding out about something after it has gone down the road for a while which sometimes involves some undoing of things.”

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A challenge that surprised Shawn was how little she actually knew about the company when she started.  “They were my client when I was at the firm and I thought I knew them pretty well. Not the case at all. I have had to learn a lot about their processes and their clientele.” Shawn has had to learn on the job about these aspects of the company and engaging colleagues to share this information with her proven challenging at times.

Next week, we’ll continue the conversation with Shawn and discuss the skills that have made her successful, the skills that needed improvement when she transitioned in-house, and what she looks for in outside counsel now that she’s the one hiring them.


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.

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