In-House Counsel, Summer Associates

Summer Associates Are Coming! An In-House Perspective

In-house columnist Stephen Williams offers advice on how to succeed during a summer spent with a corporate legal department.

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happy young lawyers summer associates law studentsWith the last Scantron bubble filled and ExamSoft countdown complete, thousands of law students will soon take to the streets in an attempt to show off what they have learned to their (hopefully) future employers during their summer employment.

While much has been written on how to excel as a Biglaw summer associate (do whatever is asked of you, do it well, and don’t get drunk at the outings) or with a judicial clerkship (research well, use big words appropriately, and don’t get drunk… well ever), less is authored on how to succeed during a summer spent in-house. Although each in-house department may vary, there are some universal truths which, if followed, may help in-house students turn their summer position into a full-time job post-graduation.

When it Comes to Money, Mum’s the Word

In a world where the going rate of a summer associate at Biglaw is actually included in marketing materials, it is easy to think this loose-lipped approach to salary is accepted in the in-house world as well. Think again.

My law students regularly work with non-legal team members from all departments across our network. Team members who stereotypically think all lawyers are loaded and who have no concept of a $200,000 student loan. Team members who may barely make above minimum wage despite working at the company for over twenty years. Even good-natured attempts to empathize with a non-legal team member about being a “poor” student will fail.

Lamenting you make 25 percent of what your friend who is spending the summer with Biglaw makes still lets the team member know you make roughly 500 percent more than they do as a mere summer employee. Not only did you fail at making a new friend by making them feel devalued, they likely will have no problem letting their colleagues, including those with the ability to hire, know how arrogant and/or overpaid they think you are. In the in-house world, even the lowest member on the totem pole can affect your potential to be hired.

Take Every Assignment with a Smile

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Time and resources are often few and far between in any in-house legal department, as we are tasked with sifting through endless issues routed for legal review because it mentions something vaguely legal0sounding. Case in point, I was asked to review a popcorn machine rental agreement a department manager was bringing in for their team since they heard all contracts needed to be reviewed by legal. While this particular contract fell a few million dollars shy of the legal review threshold, I wanted to encourage their willingness to seek out legal input and happily obliged to review it. As you might guess, this review was promptly delegated to a law student.

Believe me when I say I understand you believe reviewing a popcorn machine rental agreement is a waste of your time, but keep it to yourself. Your cubicle will likely be located wherever we have space available and you just may be seated in the very department of the manager who requested legal review in the first place. Mocking your assignment might not only discourage that department from sending over the next contract which may actually need legal review, it will again make you appear arrogant and above the team members whose opinion the hiring manager will seek out before extending an offer.

As a summer associate in Biglaw, you have to best your peers while displaying your intellect.  As a judicial clerk, you must demonstrate your command of the English language and your mastery of the Bluebook. While in-house, of course your intellect is important, but if you want to make a lasting impression, show me you can get along with anyone in the company on down to the janitor.

An in-house counsel’s office can only be successful when other departments and non-legal colleagues feel comfortable reaching out for help. You have to work hard to build the relationships necessary to effectively perform your job. After all, you can only advise and counsel on issues that you know exist.

As an in-house manager, show me you can engender the trust of your colleagues, no matter their title, and you can bet your résumé will receive special consideration. Dismiss the importance of your assignments and loudly complain of being a poor student while still managing to fly to every summer destination wedding and you can bet neither I, nor any of my colleagues, will see you at next year’s Christmas party.

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Stephen Williams is in-house counsel with a multi-facility hospital network in the Midwest. His column focuses on a little talked about area of the in-house life, management. You can reach Stephen at stephenwilliamsjd@gmail.com.

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