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Moving in-house

Being an in-house lawyer. Would it work for you?

It’s a personal decision. But being an in-house lawyer offers very different opportunities to a legal career in private practice. We split lawyers moving in-house into two types – ‘reactive’ and ‘proactive’.

Reactive lawyers move because they don’t enjoy certain aspects of their job. Perhaps it’s the administration of billable hours, or the boring treadmill of doing deal after deal – or even the hierarchy of law firms and the long hours.

Proactive lawyers on the other hand, are looking to further their legal career in a more commercial role. One that tests their business acumen and their technical ability – and that helps them understand how business decisions are made. They want to work with professionals outside their legal field and look forward to a more varied caseload too.

If you think you’re in either camp, then a move in-house may be right for you. 

How do I become an in-house lawyer?

Clients look for three basic qualities when they’re recruiting an in-house lawyer: technical legal expertise in the relevant discipline, commercial awareness and a personality to fit their team and their business.

Your chances depend on where you are in your legal career. In the early stages, you could expect to make your first move in-house at around 18 months to five years pqe. Senior roles usually go to lawyers with previous experience of working in-house.

For most in-house roles you’d need knowledge of more non-contentious 'commercial' disciplines including general commercial contracts, IP/IT/e-commerce, construction and PFI. Corporate finance lawyers will need experience of drafting legal terms and contracts too.

You may also be asked to advise on some areas of law you haven’t studied since University. Some lawyers don’t like this aspect of being in-house, but common sense and commercial knowledge will get you through. In the early stages it’s essential you can answer questions quickly and with conviction. An in-house lawyer ideally needs to be articulate, down to earth, able to develop a good rapport with people at every level – flexible yet focussed.

Is in-house the right option?

It’s your decision. But perhaps this testimonial from a lawyer with five years pqe from a top 10 law firm will help give you some idea of the differences between in-house and private practice:

I have definitely made the right move. I have had fact find meetings with various directors and senior managers over the past couple of weeks (and have some scheduled for this week and next) to gain a deeper understanding of the business, what people want from the in-house service and the current projects etc. I have offered to do a business plan/report for the board in the next month setting out aims and targets for the next 6 months, ideas of processes to be implemented and where I think I can add value. It seemed to go down well, which is encouraging.

Overall, I am very impressed with the business and the people - it is dynamic and entrepreneurial and people are keen to have my input, which was just what I was looking for! I am also impressed with the attitude to flexible working and how well staff are looked after. I probably shouldn't say this, but to say it compares favourably with my last job would be an understatement - I wonder why anyone still does private practice!

This really seems to be the genuine opportunity I was looking for - many thanks for all your help.