Breaking into the In-House Legal Sector
Breaking into the In-House Legal Sector
Whilst the second and third most common ways for In-House legal professionals to source a new role are general online advertising (14.43% of those surveyed) and LinkedIn (11.15%), the number one most common choice is through a Recruiter (34.10%). This is a figure consistent with previous years, and largely made up of those in the Real Estate and Development sector (38.89%).[i] Our Managing Recruitment Consultant and Head of In-House, Tom Bagley, states that, “Pretty much all of the businesses and hiring managers within those businesses are always at pains to stress the need for In-House lawyers to be able to demonstrate strong commercial acumen and business skills. Businesses can get frustrated with someone who merely quotes the law – they’re conscious that this can cause lawyers to develop a reputation internally for being the obstacle that stops the wider commercial teams from being able to achieve what they want to. A candidate can really set themselves apart by demonstrating problem-solving skills and being a facilitator to the business, to make things happen. If you can think outside the box and bring ideas to life in a workable fashion, you’ll be a big success In-House.”
A good In-House lawyer ensures that their client understands the points being made and the risks associated with the business if their understanding isn’t up to scratch. It’s important to note that the transition from Private Practice to In-House can be quite daunting, as aligning your own personal risk appetite to that of your new in-house employer can be a big challenge.
Sector-Specific Experience
Developing hands-on knowledge of the In-House legal sector and some of the nuances between different industry sectors within it, is of the utmost importance for those aspiring towards becoming an In-House lawyer. Developing those skills and that experience, whether it be working as part of an In-House legal team or in collaboration with one, will stand you in good stead and aid you in becoming the excellent all-rounder that’s required.
The majority of In-House workloads cover Commercial (various contracts/agreements, data protection, IP, business projects etc.) and Corporate matters (mergers & acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance etc.). However, wider experience (property/construction, employment, litigation), can only help to add value to the business and potentially negate the need to spend on external lawyers, with market rates only rising. For instance, 39.85% of In-House lawyers will receive a bonus, profit share or dividend this year, compared to only 27.40% of Private Practice professionals.
Timeline of Experience
Becoming an In-House lawyer is not a quick journey. Our survey reflects the fact that the majority of our In-House respondents fall within the 31-38 age range (20.32% of those surveyed). On the other hand, the majority of Private Practice respondents are between the ages of 27 and 31 (27.97% of those surveyed).
This could be reflective of different factors. Typically, it can take a long time to learn, develop and hone the generalist skills required to be an In-House lawyer. Sometimes what meets employer criteria is being specialised in certain industry sectors, sometimes it’s seeing enough of various practice areas to be able to adequately advise a business across all matters.
Another factor to consider is the cultural differences between working in practice as opposed to In-House. Legal, historically, has a reputation for working long, hard hours alongside attending networking events, client drinks and negotiating time-critical transactions etc. This can have some legacy effects on work/life balance. A lot of lawyers make the move In-House to address this issue for various reasons (living/working outside of major city centres, personal family commitments etc.). The move may be a result of a longing to work in a different industry and apply legal expertise outside of the legal industry specifically, resulting in a more beneficial work setting. Almost double the number of In-House professionals are permitted 30 annual holiday entitlement days (13.68%) than Private Practice professionals (7.25%).
Broader Industry Experience
Demonstrating a desire to develop and further yourself outside of pureplay legal, can be particularly attractive to an In-House client looking to hire. Business development skills, Regulatory experience, Company Secretarial qualifications, for example, are all a great way of adding significant business value. Additionally, experience dealing with wider stakeholders such as finance, sales, marketing etc. will help a lawyer settle in as well. Understanding this, 53.3% more In-House legal professionals are likely to possess or be working towards another professional qualification than the average legal professional, outside of their LPC/GDL/LLB/LLM/Solicitor qualification.
Wider experience of working across different jurisdictions and speaking different languages can also contribute to an In-House lawyer being a more valuable resource. For instance, 8.88% more of our In-House respondents are bilingual, compared to those in Private Practice.
Adding Real Value
Depending on whether or not a business has had an In-House legal function before (and whether that be a permanent or temporary one), one of the biggest challenges an In-house lawyer will have is convincing the business that they are a value-added resource instead of a cost to the business. In order to do this, they may need to come up with higher-level strategic ideas/business process improvement ideas that will save the business time/money/resource in the long run. An example of this could be something like implementing an automation process for generic commercial contracts/deals. Annual salaries amongst In-House professionals are also perceived around 6% more in range of/ above the market rate and higher, than those of the average amount offered to lawyers.
More so, the market expects for 11.19% more In-House professionals to be offered above statutory minimum holidays than the average legal professional. Looking closer at benefits features, over 14% more In-House lawyers are offered agile working options and a laptop/ mobile phone as part of their package than the average legal professional, as well as 25.58% more of them offered enhanced employer pension contribution than their Private Practice counterparts. It can be expensive to hire a good lawyer so it’s important you can demonstrate your worth.
Communication Skills
In-House lawyers need to be able to liaise with different people at all levels, from c-level directors right down to first-line sales staff. They must be competent in developing rapport and relationships with senior stakeholders and having difficult conversations as and when required, to deliver training sessions to large sales teams. Often no two days are the same and being able to communicate to your audience is key.
Being able to handle and manage a panel of external solicitors is also important – along with acknowledging when specialist advice is required and sometimes battling for a commercial win for the business when it’s required. As with the points earlier in the article about aligning risk appetite, once in-house, a key challenge spoken about by a lot of In-house counsel is the entire risk-averse nature of external law firms when providing legal advice to them as a client so having good relationships with external panel firms can really benefit.
Conclusion
It is also important to underline that since the rise in Legal Technology and Intelligent Automation within In-House teams, particularly since the pandemic, sector professionals must be malleable towards new working systems and willing to receive the necessary training. This way, employers will want to provide resources to help you grow with the sector’s fast-paced technological developments.
From a final work/life balance perspective, it is interesting to discover that In-House professionals in Technology, Media & Telecoms and Commercial Contracts & Solutions firms are the happiest in their current roles. 75% of those in these sectors report being either happy or very happy with their job – the most amongst In-House lawyers cross all disciplines.
After covering all of the possible qualities of character and experience that are required to be an In-House lawyer, it is no wonder that professionals within the sector are among those who are most aspirational towards Director/ Business Leader roles in their career (69.36%). The future is definitely bright for the In-House legal world, and we’re excited to see it continue on its upward trajectory.
[i] Douglas Scott Survey Benchmarker 2022
In association with Douglas Scott Legal Recruitment