IN-HOUSE LAWYERS - Training contract and trainee solicitor information and resources

fakhree · #1 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 14:00

Does anyone have any advice for lawyers thinking of an in-house career.

sumoking · #2 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 14:30

Unsurprisingly yes.

Don't do it, it is slow death and you will be owned by a bunch of beuraucrats who think they know what the law is because they learned it 3rd hand off a failed HR consultant.

fakhree · #3 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 16:04

Hmmm,

In terms of salary and also work-life balance I've heard in-house jobs are better. Or is that just a myth.

sumoking · #4 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 16:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by fakhree

In terms of work-life balance I've heard in-house jobs are better. Or is that just a myth.

No they do have work life balance, they probably have flexi time and parental leave and all the stupid distractions and nonsense that will keep you from becoming partner. Which you can't do if you are in house anyway.

The point is that there is a funadamental difference in work between private (or proper as i call it) practice and in house.

where as in proper practice you are selling your services and competing against other firms to keep your edge, in house you are just casting an eye over your own redundancy package or the new don't discriminate against gingers policy or the woefully inadequate hippy inspired contract terms.

fakhree · #5 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 16:22

Sounds good for people who put a cushion on their car seat and quite the opposite for one's with ambition.

Have u had experience in house sumo at any point in your career?

sumoking · #6 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 16:48

Admittedly no

Not even been seconded in house, possibly my less than sunny disposition and inclination to do the odd thing would be at odds with in house work.

to be fair there are probably some pretty good in house jobs, possibly with big pharma companies if IP and competition is your want and possibly some very technical banking jobs.

but being stuck in the basement at zurich or trying to explain to some muppet at bp why he can't have a contract 1 page long is a fate worse than death.

Borolawyer · #7 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 17:28

Mines an In house TC and Sumos talking tosh here! i will get back to you later as im off out!

f1grainne · #8 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008, 17:30

Have been in-house before my TC, noted a few things:

1) Litigation experience (if contentious is your thing) is next to nil, you will spend almost all your time instructing outside counsel. You might handle the odd claim form here and there, but really only as it passes through your hands to go to the real lawyers. In fact, you could extend this for most areas of law. The real skill of in-house lawyers is getting cheap deals from their outside counsel.

2) In-house hirers generally prefer you to have qualified first with some private practice under your belt. In-house TCs are rare but they are out there, and I'm not saying they're not good, but... if you don't want to be ringfenced early on, it is better by far to get PP experience (preferably PQE) and qualification first and move after, and there isn't a rec con out there who will tell you different.

3) Even NQs rarely have anything in-house companies want.

4) Job security? What job security? Sumo's reference to "casting an eye over your own redundancy package" seems to be quite close to home... do you know many in-house lawyers sumo? Anecdotally: Friend of mine was made redundant on the day she qualified at her in-house TC... having been working up to that moment on the redundancy packages of lots of her friends and colleagues around the business.

Money and breadth/quality of work are good in-house for junior lawyers in the 0-3 bracket, but it really starts to drop away the more qualified you are and you will end up doing work you are sick of for not much more money than a teacher.