Attorney Traits That Translate Well To In-House Work
In-house work can be quite unique in what it demands of an attorney. As such, if you’re looking to transition to an in-house job, it’s important to consider how to position your experience and skillset advantageously so as to demonstrate your fitness for the role.
In-house legal departments can vary significantly from company-to-company (in terms of office culture, attorney responsibilities, advancement, workplace hierarchy, and more), but there are certain general traits that translate well to in-house work, regardless of the particular in-house department.
So, what do in-house legal departments look for in attorney candidates? Consider the following.
Understanding the Business
Attorney candidates can strengthen their candidacy by demonstrating significant interest in and an understanding of the business-side. Though — contrary to popular belief — most in-house legal departments are not looking for attorneys who moonlight as business development associates, a deep understanding of the business-side is critical to being a successful in-house attorney. Unlike attorneys at Biglaw firms, attorneys in the in-house environment are expected to resolve legal matters in a way that reflects the strategic orientation of the business and its various products, departments, and overall brand.
Capable of Distilling Complicated Concepts
Though much of the work in-house will involve other attorneys in the legal department (and external legal partners), you will — more than likely — have to regularly communicate with stakeholders who have no formal legal training and who are looking to you for guidance on legal matters. As such, it is critical that you demonstrate an ability to distill complicated legal concepts and to communicate such concepts in a way that can be understood by someone with no legal training. If you cannot communicate to business-side colleagues as an in-house attorney, you will likely struggle.
In-house attorneys are often included in general corporate meetings and are expected to take an active role in discussions as the various teams discuss their projects. As such, during the hiring process, attorney candidates who demonstrate an interest in active engagement with the business-side, and competence in communicating with and working closely with stakeholders who have no legal training, are at a significant advantage vis-a-vis the competition.
Willingness to Go Beyond Comfort Zone
In-house attorneys are — on average — given broader responsibilities than their Biglaw firm counterparts. Whereas a junior Biglaw associate might be expected to focus on document discovery, research, and writing, and in a very particular practice area, an in-house associate might be expected to handle employment law matters, conflicts (in tort and in contract) with other companies, intellectual property concerns, keep apprised of relevant regulatory developments, and more.
In-house attorney responsibilities are also rarely as hierarchical as those in the Biglaw environment. A mid-level in-house attorney may be expected to do their own research, for example, rather than handing it off to an entry-level attorney or a paralegal. During the hiring process, it’s important to emphasize the variety of tasks that you have taken on in the past and your willingness to do so.
Collaborative Mindset
The collaborative mindset is critical to successful lawyering in-house, particularly at an organizational level. Your team is not simply a subset of attorneys working on a specific assignment — you are generally expected to process your assignments through the lens of the larger organization. The collaborative net is thrown much wider. When working on a given assignment, you may be required to collaborate with stakeholders in HR, R&D, engineering, marketing, and many other departments. Being a “lone wolf” is not encouraged, and in fact, if the company detects that you prefer working alone as opposed to collaboratively, then it could hurt your application.
Solution-Oriented
In-house attorneys must be solution-oriented. “No” is not sufficient in most cases — you must be able to think beyond what is not allowed, and offer alternatives. For example, if a marketing colleague presents an idea at a meeting, and you point out the legal roadblocks, you should make efforts to offer alternative solutions, or at least, to explain the law succinctly so that your colleagues can avoid similar legal pitfalls when they return to the drawing board. In-house attorneys are more integrated into the business-side and therefore must not merely present a barrier to ideas and development. It is key that they demonstrate an interest in being part of solutions.
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If you are an attorney interested in moving to an in-house position, speak with a San Francisco legal recruiter at Garb Jaffe & Associates. We have years of experience successfully placing attorneys with prestigious in-house legal departments across California, and will take on an end-to-end advisory role throughout the hiring process to ensure that you secure your ideal placement.
Call us today at (310) 207-0727 for a consultation.