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While many legal professionals set their sights on big law and other high-profile firms, many others build excellent legal careers in-house, helping companies manage their legal matters internally. Accordingly, experts foresee growth in the in-house hiring market in 2024 despite tight budgets.1
Below, we’ll walk through what it means to be an in-house counsel. We’ll look at what the role looks like in high-saturation industries like tech, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. We’ll outline steps on how to claim one of these positions and the key skills lawyers need to succeed in them. And we’ll provide guidance on challenges faced and the career trajectory to expect.
In-house counsel is exactly what it sounds like: legal advice provided to a company by its own (internal) staff rather than from an external source (i.e., a law firm). In-house lawyers are situated within companies and tasked with handling the legal aspects of their business.
Their responsibilities most often include contracts, privacy, and other regulatory or compliance matters. They also decide whether or not to pursue disputes or issues in a court of law (versus avenues like arbitration) and whether and how to work with outside counsel.
If you’re thinking about becoming an in-house counsel, whether as a first or early career move or as a seasoned attorney leaving a law firm to go in-house, here are the steps you should take:
Working with a legal recruiter and guidance agencies like E.P. Dine is one of the best ways to nail all the steps of this process. Experienced legal professionals with a track record of placing lawyers at companies will help you identify target positions and apply confidently and effectively.
Beyond securing a position, legal professionals looking for a long and successful career in-house should also be sharpening their legal and business skills. The biggest areas to target include:
Often, companies get into legal and financial trouble because of a lapse in what should be standard business and/or legal practices. For example, a wave of cybercrime has hit small and medium-sized banks, largely because they’ve neglected due diligence on third-party contracts.2
Keeping your legal skills sharp and preventing issues like these are the keys to succeeding as an in-house counsel—and making a case for promotion at your current or a different company.
Many of the challenges in-house counsel face are inherent and often related to the particular field a company operates in.
Most in-house counsels need to manage business risks in a fast-paced corporate environment. But there are also industry-specific risks, like increased chances of physical injury to employees in fields like construction or manufacturing—and, therefore, in-house counsel must exhibit greater knowledge and sensitivity around these disputes. Regulatory climates, whether heightened (e.g., healthcare) or ambiguous (e.g., tech), come with complexity or uncertainty.
There’s also the aspect of balancing legal advice and procedures against business objectives and the perspectives of business leaders concerning them. For example, it might make legal sense to take a slower and more methodical approach to due diligence in a given deal negotiation, but other parties’ willingness to wait (and the implications for revenue) might take precedence.
All lawyers also face the challenge of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and in-house counsel roles are no exception. However, these positions do tend to be less demanding on average than roles in a law firm, where working around the clock is often expected.
Finally, in-house legal careers may not have the same clearly defined trajectories as those at law firms, but there are still steps in-house counsels should be looking forward to.
One of the more common trajectories for an in-house counsel is to move into a more senior legal position, such as General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer. These roles command a greater amount of responsibility over legal matters within a company. Alternatively, some in-house counsels become more involved on the corporate side of their companies and ascend to business leadership roles. This is similar to how high-level partners at law firms often claim ownership of the firm and business responsibilities in addition to (or in lieu of) legal ones.
Success in-house, just like success in a firm, depends on a legal professional’s commitment to honing their skills, networking, and making the most of legal career opportunities that emerge.
Working with a recruitment and guidance agency is the best way to capitalize on these.
Legal professionals at all stages of their careers should consider pursuing in-house positions. An in-house counsel role is dynamic and business-forward, offering plenty of opportunities for a diversified career path—and a reprieve from the ups and downs of law firm culture more broadly. Being a pillar of a business’s legal operations can be incredibly rewarding.
E.P. Dine helps legal professionals find positions perfectly suited to their skills and interest; we’ll help you identify, apply for, secure, and succeed in the perfect in-house counsel role for you.
Check out our recruiting services to learn how we can help—or get in touch to hear firsthand!
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At E.P. Dine, we are committed to delivering content that is not only relevant and insightful but also rooted in professional integrity and expertise. To achieve this, every article published on the E.P. Dine blog undergoes a meticulous review process by qualified professionals with deep knowledge and experience in the legal field and legal recruitment.
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