In-house counseling
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In-House Counsel, Job Searches
Jungle Drums
The People's Therapist, Will Meyerhofer, received an offer recently that he couldn't refuse - an invitation from “legal search consultants.” Headhunters! They were having a convention and asked if he wanted to drop by, and, you know, say hi. Vague images flitted through his mind - guys in suits dancing in a conga line wearing hats with silly horns.... -
Billable Hours, In-House Counsel, Practice Pointers
Moonlighting: Low-Value Work (or, How to Catch Up on Glee)
Are your in-house working hours recently rivaling the billable hours you thought you had permanently discarded? Is your workload getting way too heavy — i.e., it’s really getting difficult to watch Glee on a timely basis? Do you find yourself working on pretty much the same form of contract over and over and over and […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Deaths, In-House Counsel
House Rules: Requiem
A close friend’s father passed away. He was 71, a retired school teacher and a great man. A man dying at 71 used to seem far off in my comprehension of time, but as I get older, it’s really not. I learned of his death the day after ATL had posted a story about a […]
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Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Trials
Inside Straight: Showing, Not Telling, That You're Competent
When we write briefs, we show — we don’t tell — the reader that we win. Thus, we do not tell the reader: “This case is barred by the statute of limitations,” which is mere assertion. Instead, we show the reader why we win: “The accident in which plaintiff was hurt occurred on June 1, […] -
Biglaw, Birthdays, Blogging, In-House Counsel, Litigators, Partner Issues
Inside Straight: Happy Birthday To Me!
I’m one this week! Happy birthday to me! Though it feels like only yesterday, I published my first column at Above the Law on November 18, 2010. I’ve published two posts every week since then (except when Monday holidays excused my labors), so I’ve cranked out about 100 of these little ditties over the last […] -
In-House Counsel, Insurance, Practice Pointers
House Rules: Insurance, LoL, Indemnity, and Other Dirty Words
So, the Customer wants you to take on unlimited liability for breach of confidentiality, indemnify (and hold harmless) for any and all bad acts of your employees, and to carry a multi-million dollar insurance policy. What do you do? First, begin by triaging these from simplest to more complicated. During a negotiation it can be […] -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: I've Written a Brochure For You!
In this column, I’m presenting you with a gift: I’m ghost-writing for you a law firm brochure. I hereby grant all copyright interest in my brochure to you. Feel free to reproduce the following brochure, print it up, attach your firm’s logo, mail or e-mail the brochure to clients and potential clients, and wait for […] -
Conferences / Symposia, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Travel / Vacation
House Rules: The Mile-High Club
I recently spent a week in Denver over two days (“ba dum bum”). The day I arrived, the temperature hit a record high of 80 degrees, and it snowed several inches the next evening. I was supposed to be attending (and enjoying) the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Annual Meeting, but instead, I was frantically trying […] - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Money
The Haves and the Have-nots
Will Meyerhofer explains what the job search is like in law school. In mid-September, he was talking with a client, a 3L at a top-tier school. “Here's how it works,” she explained. “There's the have's and the have-nots. Either you have a job offer, or you don't. If you don't, it sucks. You feel like an illegal alien.” Unfortunately, she's a have-not... -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Legal Ethics, Litigators
Inside Straight: Learning From My 360-Degree Review
Here’s proof that I view my readers at ATL as family: In this post, I’m going to share with you the results of my recently concluded 360-degree performance review and tell you how I plan to improve my personal job performance. (That may not be quite as sexy as pictures of naked judges, but you […] -
Biglaw, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: What Would General Counsel University Look Like?
I posted last week about the idea of providing training intended to give lawyers wings — to teach lawyers the skills, and give them the experiences, they need to leave their firm or corporation and move forward on a career path elsewhere. If you thought that was a good idea — if you thought that […] -
In-House Counsel
House Rules: Now What? Learning the In-House Ropes
Now what? You’re sitting in your new office, with a blank stare out the window, and like Redford in “The Candidate” you say: “Now what?” Your next move largely depends on the size of your in-house department. Departments with six or fewer attorneys make up approximately 60% of in-house legal offices. Most in-house lawyers therefore […] -
In-House Counsel
A Little White Lie
The People's Therapist hasn't worked at Sullivan & Cromwell since 1999. But now, he treads with caution as he recounts events that occurred in the life of a close friend who practiced at the firm during that time. It's possible this person occasionally misrepresented his billable hours....
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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In-House Counsel, Parties
Moonlighting: Stop Having Fun at the Company’s Socials
Does your company hold employee “social events”? These range from bigger events like town halls, summer picnics, and holiday parties, to smaller, more intimate socials like Friday afternoon ice cream sundae breaks, cubicle-decorating contests, and themed get-togethers. They all have the same goals — encourage a team atmosphere, help boost morale, and announce company information. […] -
In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Money
House Rules: In-House for Life?
So you’ve decided to take the plunge in-house. You have likely had to accept a pay cut. Not the worst thing to have happen, given that you’re about to get your life back. But most in-house counsel do not make the mid-six figure salaries of senior associates, or junior partners.... -
In-House Counsel, Romance and Dating
The Dæmon Lover
The People's Therapist, Will Meyerhofer, wants you to know that this happens a lot. It begins with the standard set-up. You feel trapped. Hate your life. Nerves shot. Self-esteem shredded. You know the drill: Biglaw. That's when the dæmon lover appears. It doesn't end well.... -
General Counsel, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Train To Stay, Or Train To Go?
It’s hard to create career paths for in-house lawyers. It’s easy to describe the career path for a junior lawyer at a law firm (even though the path may be illusory for many): Work hard and well and become a partner; work harder and better and become a richer and more powerful partner. Retire. Die. […] -
In-House Counsel, Interview Stories, Job Searches
Moonlighting: The Shortest Interview Process Ever (SIPE)
A lot of people ask in-house columnist Susan Moon how she ended up in her in-house gig. She likes to call the interview process she had for her current job the Shortest Interview Process Ever (SIPE, for short). She's going to tell you about it, and include a couple of tips that she thinks helped her.... -
In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Litigators
Inside Straight: The Land Of The Bobbleheads
We recently had to hire a new lawyer to help with our litigation in the United States. Not surprisingly, that got me to thinking: What are we actually looking for in lawyers that we hire? Some companies litigate their own cases in-house, writing their own briefs, taking depositions, and trying cases. If that’s your company’s […] -
Associate Advice, Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Partner Issues
House Rules: How To Get an In-House Lawyer's Attention
In this week's edition of House Rules, in-house columnist David Mowry lets our readers know how to get his attention for all of the right (and all of the wrong) reasons....