In-house counsel seems like the ideal legal gig.
Power. Prestige. Stock options. Who doesn’t dream of such things?
But in-house jobs aren’t reserved solely for those lawyers who have paid their legal dues. There’s often room in the GC’s office for fledgling lawyers. Sometimes, there’s even room at the top.
Though every person has their own individual pet peeves, there are some acts that will irritate even the most even-keeled Ghandi-like attorney.
So you made it to the promised land: The General Counsel's office. Congratulations.
It's normal to be nervous about your first in-house gig, especially if you're diving into a new practice area. Fear not. Here are five tips for new in-house attorneys that can help you navigate the learning curve in your new job:
Like most retailers, Zappos' user agreement included a clause requiring claimants to submit to arbitration. But unlike most situations, it turns out the agreement didn't bind anyone.
The issue came out of a lawsuit against the company following an alleged breach of user privacy. Zappos customers banded together to file a class-action suit against the company. The popular online shoe retailer tried to force them to submit to arbitration.
That move didn't go so well. Not only is the class action going forward, Zappos' entire user agreement was effectively invalidated.
Want to become a general counsel, or curious to know how much your peers make? A new GC salary survey by Equilar may be the thing to read as it provides some interesting data and insight into the world of general counsel.
While the most frequently asked question may be how much general counsel get paid, there's other interesting data to be gleaned from the survey, such as which law schools GCs attended, the gender gap in GC salaries, and the best industries for GCs to work in, reports TheCorporateCounsel.net.
Here are four highlights from the general counsel salary survey:
We may be preaching to the choir here, but it appears that general counsel are increasingly valuable to their employers, especially in the area of compliance, even while the rest of the legal market struggles.
The idea that people will always need lawyers still holds true, but in the current economy a lot of the "people" who still need lawyers are companies. As state and federal governments increase regulations and crack down on consumer issues, companies desperately need legal advice.
But as in-house counsel, you can offer your client more than just your legal expertise. If you haven't already, it's time to take a more active role in the business side of things.
Mentors for in-house counsel may be especially important, as an in-house attorney is oftentimes the only attorney in the corporate office.
But without someone to bounce ideas off of or to get some direction, an in-house attorney may be going in the wrong direction and have no idea until it is too late, reports Corporate Counsel.
So if an in-house attorney is the only attorney in the building, how does that attorney go about getting a mentor?
Because what the world needs now is lawyers with even more degrees? UC Irvine is planning to launch a Center for Corporate Law next summer that will offer extensive training for attorneys already working as in house counsel as well as those aspiring to go in house.
While several schools already offer programs for corporate counsel that last a few days, UC Irvine hopes to distinguish itself with a program that will last six weeks over the summer, reports The National Law Journal.
The program will cover such important matters as management and business skills and intellectual property. Lawyers who graduate from the program will receive a "corporate counsel" certificate or a "general counsel" certificate depending upon the number of modules they complete within four years.
In a recent article, in house counsel lifestyles were described as seemingly much better than the lifestyle of law firm attorneys.
The article was no big shocker as the general stereotype is that in house counsel positions are much cushier than law firm positions. The hours are better, there's no need to bill, etc.
But the article in Above the Law seems to suggest that the actual culture of a corporation was better than a law firm. This included the hierarchy of corporations to the level of support that employees receive.
Becoming in house counsel is the Holy Grail for a lot of attorneys. The common perception is that you put in ten grueling years at a law firm, and then you can jump to a cushy in house position. But are these tales of leisure for in house counsel just myths?
To say that all in house lawyers work less hours and enjoy a better quality of life than their law firm counterparts would be untrue. Depending upon who you ask, in house counsels can have as many deadlines and work just as many hours as the associate at the largest firms.
Here are three common myths of in house counsel, and a more realistic set of expectations, as compiled by Corporate Counsel.
