Strategies for Successfully Transitioning From In-House to Law Firm Environments

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Summary

The transition from in-house counsel to a law firm is both exciting and challenging. Although in-house legal professionals have the same basic legal skills, understanding the processes and procedures at a law firm is often intimidating for someone coming from an in-house counsel environment.


The goal for any in-house counsel transitioning to a law firm is to build upon their existing skills and knowledge to seamlessly fit into their new environment. This article provides some helpful tips on how to make this transition.

One of the most important steps when transitioning from in-house counsel to a law firm is understanding the billing structure and how to manage your time. In-house legal professionals are typically accustomed to working with hourly billing, whereas law firms typically require more concrete billing metrics. Familiarize yourself with the billing structure at the firm and create a plan to track your time effectively.

Secondly, it is important to understand how a law firm operates as a business. Get to know the other departments within the firm such as finance and marketing and how they work together to support the firm and its clients. Learning the business aspect of the firm will help you build better client relationships and increase the value of your services.

Thirdly, develop a deep understanding of the practice and industry in which you are working. Attending CLEs and other seminars, reading industry publications and staying abreast of legal developments are just some ways to gain a thorough knowledge of the practice and industry. This knowledge will be key to helping the firm conduct its business.

Finally, it is important to build relationships within the firm. Networking and getting to know other attorneys at the firm as well as other departments is essential to developing a strong working relationship with the firm.

In conclusion, transitioning from in-house counsel to a law firm requires a great deal of adjustment and understanding of a new working environment. However, with the right understanding of the law firm's business, billing structure, practice and industry, and relationships, in-house counsel can be successful in their transition to law firm life.
 

What is the Difference Between In-House and Law Firm Employment?

In-house legal jobs are positions held within the legal department of a company, while law firm jobs are positions held at a law firm. In-house lawyers are responsible for providing legal advice that governs their organizations' general operations, while law firm lawyers are typically retained to represent clients in specific matters such as litigation or transactional work.
 

Why Transition from an In-House Environment to a Law Firm?

Making the transition from an in-house legal counsel to a law firm job can be a challenging and rewarding experience. Lawyers who transition from in-house to law firm employment often desire to become more specialized and involved in a certain practice area. Additionally, the independence and autonomy of law firm life can be attractive to those wishing to escape the bureaucracy of a corporate legal environment and work more remotely.
 

The Benefits of Working at a Law Firm

Law firms offer attorneys more opportunities for career growth and professional development than in-house employment. Working at a law firm allows attorneys to gain substantial experience in a number of different practice areas as well as develop their own client base. Additionally, attorneys can take advantage of the mentorship opportunities available through law firm associates and partners.
 

What to Consider When Making the Transition to a Law Firm

Before making the jump to a law firm, it is important to take a number of factors into consideration. First, attorneys should examine the firm's structure and practice areas to determine if their legal experience and interests are a good match. Additionally, attorneys should consider their office location, hours required, salary, benefits, and compensation packages. Finally, attorneys should assess their long-term career goals to see if a law firm environment is the right fit.

Question
I would like to transition back to law firm life after working in house for the last six years - what kind of hurdles should I expect?

Answer
Of course, every case is going to be different, but as more and more of the attorney in house work force attempts to make the move back to law firm life, they are finding out it is not as easy as it once was to obtain a position at a law firm. As everyone is probably aware of, the downturn in the economy of the past few years has meant that a lot of the in house positions that arose out of the "new economy" have since disappeared. These attorneys are finding it harder to find positions in law firms than those who stuck it out in law firms for several reasons. Here are some ways of getting around that:
 

1. Many law firms want to believe that the sole purpose of your life is to come in every morning and bill hours in the name of the firm. While it is not necessarily true that attorneys who stuck around the law firm scene are more willing to believe this, many firms will take your in house experience to mean you were trying to get away from the more demanding workload that law firms require. One way to get around that is to seek out so-called "lifestyle firms" or firms that don't necessarily expect you to bill 2500 hours a year and will probably not hold you to such a high standard when it comes to your dedication to law firm life.
2. Another reason that law firms can sometimes be hesitant to take on attorneys that have been working in house is that they believe that the work required in corporate environments is not as strenuous as that required in a law firm. This can translate to them not believing that you can handle the work that they need their employees to do. Emphasize the work you have done that is on par with work that law firm attorneys do in your resume and make your prior law firm work prominent.
3. Law firms like attorneys that are going to be loyal. Despite the fact that more attorneys are switching firms than ever before, partners like the idea that the attorney they hire laterally will try to make a home in that firm for a long while. By leaving law firms altogether, you have already made them suspect. Perhaps this is not as easy to get around as the others, but if you truly emphasize how much you desire to work in a law firm, some employers will take that into consideration.
    

Last, but far from least - if you can bring work from your former corporate employer to the law firm, that would (for obvious reasons) be a big bonus in getting you hired. This may not be feasible, but if it is, it could go a long way to getting you any law firm job you want, especially if the business you bring with you could potentially net the firm a lot of money.