In-House Counsel

The Road Not Taken: How Long Must I Wait?

If an in-house career is what you want, don’t use the timeline of your career as your primary focus.

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This is a question I hear from firm lawyers wanting to go in-house: How long should I wait before making the move? There are recommendations all over the place from three years to no less than seven. Honestly, like any job change, the number of years isn’t going to be the deciding factor. Just because you’ve been at a firm for three years and you read an article that tells you four years is too late doesn’t mean you have to start looking to leave a job you like simply because you want to be in-house one day. Personally, I don’t think there is a “magic” time to move in-house, but I do think it is worthwhile to have at least three years at a firm. Three years gives you an opportunity to experience a variety of issues and learn the basics of a practice.

Regardless of whether you have three years experience or not, what should you consider when thinking about your jump to in-house? Obviously, everyone’s personal situations will differ, but when I talk to friends who either want to move in-house, or those who already made the jump, these are the factors that come up repeatedly.

1. What do you want to change?

This is an important question. Why are you looking to go in-house? Do you hate your job? Do you like your job, but hate billing time? Do you feel overworked and overwhelmed? Do you want an escape from your life and you think in-house work will be that escape, or do you feel you would fit in well in a corporate environment?

I put this question as the first one because it is the most important. In-house work is still that: work. True, you probably won’t have minimum hours to meet and you may not need to track your time, but the work still has its challenges. Your authority and decisions will still be second-guessed, but it won’t be from a partner. You will still work hard. You will still work long hours, but without the reward of a bonus for exceeding your minimum hours. The work will still be stressful and your client will still be demanding.

Many lawyers went to law school right after college. For some of us, being a lawyer is the only professional job we’ve ever known. As a universal truth, jobs are hard. Professional jobs are demanding. That won’t change when you go in-house.

Answering this question is important for two reasons. The first is for you. You should know what you want; thoughtful introspection is worthwhile. The second is also for you. When you have an interview for an in-house position, your interviewer will probably want to know why you are looking for a new opportunity. Your answer should revolve around the benefits you can bring to your potential employer, not your desire to escape a firm.

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2.  Who do you know?

You’ve done the soul-searching. You understand that jobs are hard. You are willing to work hard. Now you need the gig. You can check the job postings. Of course, everyone who wants to stop slaving towards billable hours also are applying for those jobs. This is where you start engaging your network. Not just other lawyers, but people who have jobs that are not being a lawyer. These people may work for organizations with established legal departments, or organizations that need a legal department but haven’t yet pulled the trigger to build it.

If you make a connection with someone who might be helpful in finding your in-house career, do not put the onus of helping you on them. Probably the most common statement I have heard from lawyers at law firms who want to move in-house is, “Let me know if there are any openings.” That isn’t how the relationship works. You need to be ready to apply to jobs as they get posted. The benefit the connection gives you is that someone can look for your résumé in the stack of submissions the HR department will receive.

Your connections are there to help you, not work for you.

3.  What do you know?

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Maybe you don’t know anyone who can put you in contact with someone who can help you get the job you want, but that doesn’t mean you are out of the running. What do you bring to the table that will benefit an in-house organization? Do some soul-searching and figure out what makes you special.

4.  How much do you need?

This is a tough one. If you want to make the jump, you may have to take a pay cut. Some people don’t have to, lots of people do. If you need to take pay cut, how much of a pay cut can you manage? What about if the total package is similar to your current compensation, but distributed differently? Do you have that kind of flexibility?

5.  Can you move?

The market for in-house lawyers differs by region in this country. If you are in a region where the market isn’t great, are you willing to move? There isn’t much to discuss in this question — it is completely personal. Do you have a life you are willing to relocate to a different part of the country?

If an in-house career is what you want, don’t use the timeline of your career as your primary focus. It is an important factor, but there are other, equally important factors to consider in determining when to make the jump.

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[email protected].

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