In House v Private Practice - A slide produced by Alex Correa Executive. Information for lawyers assessing whether to take a corporate legal role and what it might mean for their career longer term.

1. 20 factors every lawyer should consider
before taking the in-house plunge

2. Despite the popularity and appeal of moving
in-house, it is vital to properly consider how such a move
can impact on both your short and long-term career.
Without wanting to be too simplistic about this, here are
20 factors you should consider before taking the leap!

3. Apart from the company,
what’s the background and
experience of the board and
senior executive team?
1 Background

4. 2 Reporting
Who is the GC or Head of Legal?
What does their background and experience
say about them?

5. What kind of training might
you expect?
What law firm did they train
in and what can they offer
you in terms of your learning
and development?
3 Training

6. What is the structure of
the legal team?
What could this mean for you in terms of
the work you will do?
4Structure

7. How is the legal team
regarded both within
the company and
externally?
5 Reputation

8. What law firms do they brief?
6External Firms

9. What percentage of the legal
work is briefed out?
‘What’ work is kept in-house?
7 Work Mix

10. What kind of work mix will this role have?
How closely is it aligned to your experience?
8 Suitability

11. What does the employer and corporate
brand tell you about the company?
9Company

12. What does the job title and
position description tell you
about how the legal function
is regarded internally?
10Positioning
Look at annual report and company prospectus
Image source: http://www.freepik.com/

13. Assuming that you did take the role what would your
CV look like after 2 years?
5 years etc?
11 Help or hinder?

14. What future path does this set
you up for?
What doors would open for you?
12
Your career opportunities

15. In answering those questions how closely then does this
opportunity align with where you see your career heading?
13Thoughts

16. Not that this would be a deal breaker (surely!) but
does the legal team record time?
Does it work on a cost centre or profit centre model?
14 Time recording

17. Consider the industry it operates in.
What trends, economic climate and challenges has it
faced over the last 5 years?
What does the future look like?
e
conomic indicator
15 Economic Indicator

18. What impact +/- is working in this industry likely to
have on your experience?
16Impact

19. What does LinkedIn tell you about the company that is
NOT on the company page?
Find ex-employees of the company, consider their
tenure and progression (or lack thereof).
Any pattern???
17Research

20. What insights were you able to gain
from the recruitment experience?
What might this mean for you as a
future employee?
18Insights

21. Will you be the only lawyer in the
company or are you reporting to
someone in another
geographical area?
If you are still in your early years
of practice (say 1-6 years PAE),
tread with caution! It may seem
like an immediate promotion but
don’t be fooled, this can come at
a very high price.
19Team

22. Finally and most importantly.
Does this role allow you to feel secure and supported?
Both personally, financially and professionally?
20 Security

23. As you might expect the answers to these questions
will likely come from many sources including formal
interviews, coffee meetings with current or previous
employees, peers, the internet and your own networks.
Making an informed choice

24. And it’s important to remember
that a great due diligence
process will always pay off!