Reply to How to Suss Out Potential for In-House Move

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[quote=Anonymous]Are you talking about a move in-house with your current client or to a company in general?

If it's your current client, do they already have in-house counsel, or do they outsource everything to external firms?

If they have in-house counsel, one way to bring it up is to talk with them about their role and how it's similar/different to yours.  Maybe something like, "I'm obviously happy at XYZ Firm, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to work in-house rather than as an external lawyer.  Do you like being in-house?  How is it different from what I do for you all?"  See where that goes and if there's a natural opening to say, "Sounds interesting.  Do you think there's something here to talk about in more detail?  I know it's a little awkward given that I'm your outside counsel, but maybe this is worth exploring some more."

It's in that next conversation that you could talk about role/responsibilities and of course pay.  If they're paying for 1600+ hours of your billable time through your boutique firm, it's possible they could save themselves money AND increase your pay by cutting out the middle man.  Just multiply your billable rate times the hours you bill this client annually.  The client would not pay you that amount if you went in-house -- they'd need to retain some money for overhead and benefits.  But there may be a margin where you both could benefit.

This is pretty common, by the way.  Lots of external lawyers wind up going in-house to firm clients.  The firms may lose in the short-term (loss of the income from your billable hours to that client), but in the long run in-house lawyers tend to refer work back to their firms of origin.  Not always, but often.  Firms that take a long view of things, don't hold these moves against their lawyers.  They see the potential gains down the road.

Finalloy, NO, in-house moves do not happen only when someone is being pushed out by their firm.  In-house jobs can be quite lucrative (though certainly not always), and they can also be better for people's lifestyle than law firms (again, not always).  They can also be a break from the drudgery of billing hours or a transition from a legal role to a business-side role (but again, not always).  There are tons of reasons people leave firms to go in-house.

If it's something that intersts you, talk with your client about it while also stressing that you're happy where you are.  It's very bad form to bad-mouth your current firm to a client of that firm.  Also, nobody wants to hire an unhappy lawyer.

You can also try networking through your law school.  Check your alumni directory or LinkedIn to find classmates who are already in-house, and reach out to them to ask about their roles.  What do they like, what do they not like.  How did they find their jobs?  How's the pay, hours and benefits?  What advice do they have for you about making a transition from boutique to in-house.  Even if they're in other cities, I'm sure that will be helpful information.[/quote]

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