General in House Council

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• 1 Like

  BenjaminSF Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  February 2017 edited February 2017 457 karma

  I have spoken with an individual who works as IH Counsel for a non-profit and associated LLC. I think that the track really depends on the scale of the business from what he told me. If you are referring to being part of a small team, or being the only lawyer who works for the group, then I would imagine that there is an expectation of experience. He worked in corporate law prior to his current position for over a decade.

  Much like any job, if you can get in the door and know the right people, the parameters change quite a bit. Going into an interview as a stranger, though, it can take more convincing for a company to bring you on as a big part of their legal team. I would imagine that company size, age, and overall work culture play a big impact on what they look for.
• TexAgAaron Alum Member

  February 2017 1723 karma

  Yeah that's what I was figuring. If I went down this path, I probably would like to work for a larger company. I know corporations don't like to have too many attorneys on staff so I figured there wouldn't be many (i.e. one Head Councilor and a couple of associates).
• 1 Like

  LSATisland Free Trial Inactive Sage

  February 2017 edited February 2017 1878 karma

  I'll answer from the Canadian perspective, but much obtains across the border:

  There are in-house positions available for law school graduates ("articling students" in Canada). Often, you will see senior lawyers leaving a firm to go in-firm with a large client, when the client thinks it's a better move financially and strategically, but the larger companies will generally have a legal department that takes on law students, generally with the plan on building careers at the company.

  In-house counsel has transformed over the last 50 years, and is seen as more prestigious than it once was. It used to be seen as a job of routine and repetitive work, with the interesting and complex legal issues farmed out to outside firms. Now, in-house counsel will handle much more complex cases, and hire outside counsel if needed.

  In-house counsel often has significant business roles at the corporation, and you'll see a lot of GCs that are also VPs. This is likely expected as they are employees of the corporation, unlike outside counsel who have allegiance to many clients. As employees, ethical conflicts are pronounced for in-house counsel, since the potential risk may mean losing their job as opposed to a client. Regulators in the U.S. and Canada have increased regulations for in-house counsel in the last 15 years, following some scandals implicating in-house counsel, particularly Enron.
• TexAgAaron Alum Member

  February 2017 1723 karma

  @LSATisland Thanks for the post! I'm definitely intruiged with GC due to its business part. I've seen schools advertise those type of positions but didn't know what the realities of obtaining one were or how often they hire. Thanks!
• LSATisland Free Trial Inactive Sage

  February 2017 edited February 2017 1878 karma

  @akeegs92 My pleasure! The specifics regarding how often they hire, etc. will likely depend on each market, so I'd recommend researching the particular area you're interested in.

  During my first year of law school, I was also interested in learning about and perhaps working as in-house counsel. I reached out to and met with some GCs who kindly took the time to convey what the practicalities of the job were like. If interested, I'd recommend you also reaching out. These people are usually very busy, but many are generous with their time, esp. since you're asking for an informational meeting to learn more about their area. This should give you a good feel for the specifics of the market in your area.
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  February 2017 23929 karma

  It's certainly possible, but generally unlikely from my understanding. I have heard that Amazon for example hire certain JDs right out of school. However, as a general rule landing an in-house gig out of school without 3-4 years (in some cases 1-2) of BL on your resume is difficult. Also, I should mention what type of company matters too: For example, Fortune 500 vs. being in house at a bank doing compliance work are two very different jobs to land.
• TexAgAaron Alum Member

  February 2017 1723 karma

  @LSATisland that was my plan after I get done taming this LSAT beast. I was hoping to network a bit and also ask about different kinds of law to help me narrow down a bit what I'd like to do (I'm very open minded right now).

  @"Alex Divine" thanks. That's what I've read a lot of times. I've had people say a little luck and timing helps too. 3-4 years of experience is very doable though. I was thinking it may take more than that. I appreciate the help!
• LSATisland Free Trial Inactive Sage

  February 2017 1878 karma

  @akeegs92 Sounds like a plan! I think you will find that most lawyers remember being law students themselves, and many will be generous with their time and advice. Also, I am sure that law school itself will help clarify your area of interest. It's totally normal to allow time to figure it out. Even those who enter law school intent on a particular area often change their focus during law school.