Law Grad in Pink is a blog written by a law graduate in Adelaide for law graduates everywhere.

Sunday 17 May 2015

Is it time for more law graduates to consider in-house roles?

What is an in-house lawyer?
In-house lawyers are directly employed by the company they work for. They undertake the legal work and assist with risk identification and management for the company. Often sitting physically close to the CEO, COO and management team, in-house lawyers are often expected to provide immediate or timely legal advice on a wide range of issues. In-house lawyers will assist a wide range of teams within the company including operations, human resources and marketing. While this blog post is about private sector in-house opportunities, there are also public sector in-house opportunities at both a state and Commonwealth level.

What is so good about working in-house?
1.       Focus on one client
Having only one client means that in-house lawyers can build impressive client knowledge. Parts of the company rely on in-house lawyers before they can progress, and being able to see the impact of your work is satisfying. Client access to lawyers can cause high-pressure environments, as in-house lawyers often have nowhere to hide as they are physically close to their internal clients. However, working on the commercial front line can be immensely rewarding, as the impact of your advice can be seen.

2.       Close contact with the business side of the company
This close contact with the company means in-house lawyers have a real influence on the business side of the company. In-house lawyers are the legal part of a diversified wider environment within the company. Working in-house is a great option for lawyers who want to work with a wide range of non-legal professionals.

3.       A wide variety of legal work
While the General Counsel usually specialises in advising the CEO, COO and management team and managing large emergencies, a junior lawyer working in-house will be expected to help out in all areas including litigation, debt recovery, employment and industrial relations, competition law, and intellectual property. In-house lawyers must develop an ability to advise on a wide range of areas, and this can be a welcome challenge for some.

4.       A small team environment
 Teams in-house are generally smaller than specialist teams in law firms and offer the opportunity to work more closely with colleagues.

5.       Independence and self-reliance
In-house lawyers are generally very busy trying to keep on top of the regulatory requirements of the company and their usual case load from internal clients. As a junior lawyer you will receive supervision, but will be required to be much more autonomous than if you were working at a law firm. This is great for building self-confidence and the ability to problem solve.

6.       Rewarding to see outcomes of your work
Being able to see the outcome when problems are resolved with your legal input can be very positive and lead to high work satisfaction. In law firms you can miss out on this key step, as outcomes are reported to you second or third hand through your supervising Partner. Those working in-house have also reported higher feelings of collaboration that come with working intensely with internal clients to achieve common company goals.

7.       Involvement in legal issues from an early stage
Law firms often only become involved in legal issues at a late stage. Working in-house, you can be involved in the legal process from the very beginning of an internal legal inquiry to the end.

8.       Requires forward thinking and creativity
With the increased focus on risk management, in-house lawyers will be expected to foresee certain legal problems and assist to stop them before it happens. Forward thinking and creative thinking are encouraged.

Watch out for:
1.       Conflict between your duty to your employer and your duty as a lawyer
It is possible that while working in-house there can be a conflict between your duty to your employer and your duty as a lawyer. Rule 4.1.4 of the NSW Professional Conduct and Practice Rules 2013 provides that “A solicitor must also:...avoid any compromise to their integrity and professional independence”. In the event of a conflict between a duty to the employer and a duty as a lawyer, the duty you have as a lawyer must prevail.

2.       Legal professional privilege
For legal professional privilege to apply to communications, an in-house lawyer must have been acting in their capacity as legal advisers. Keep this in mind if you are starting in an in-house role, as at times you may be asked to work on matters that could be better described as business matters rather than legal matters. Legal professional privilege may not apply to these communications unless specific steps are taken.

Debunking the myths:
Myth 1: Working in-house is less work than working at a law firm
While the nature of the work you are doing may vary, most in-house lawyers work just as hard or harder than lawyers at law firms. Working in-house is definitely not the softer or easier option.

Myth 2: Working in-house will give you better access to life outside of work
Working in-house will not necessarily give you better work/life balance than working at a law firm. Work/life balance varies between different in-house teams as much as it does between different law firms and practice groups.

But are there in-house positions for law graduates?
Traditional in-house teams are headed by a General Counsel who has 20+ years of experience and is usually ex-top tier where they were Managing Partner for 10 years before moving in-house. The rest of a typical in-house team is made up of experienced lawyers who spent time working at a law firm before moving in-house. These more experienced lawyers are usually poached from panel law firms. Traditionally there were no real roles for law graduates or junior lawyers in-house.

This has now changed due to two trends:
1.       The increasing size of in-house teams. There has been a trend to increasing the size of in-house teams as the regulatory load on companies has become more complex and there has been an increase focus on risk and liability; and
2.       The increasing budgetary constraints on in-house teams. Post GFC, companies have tightened budgets in most departments including the legal budget. In-house teams have become more selective when briefing panel law firms and do more of the legal work themselves. They are also more likely to brief barristers directly in litigation matters. This has led to in-house teams needing to do more “ground-work” and has led to an increased need for junior lawyers and law graduates in in-house teams.


In-house opportunities do exist for law graduates. You just have to be vigilant in finding the opportunities. Unlike graduate recruitment for law firms that happens in March/April annually, in-house opportunities are advertised whenever the company has a need. Companies as diverse as the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Metroll Group, David Jones, and Lend Lease have all recruited in-house junior lawyers or graduate lawyers this year. Due to the competitive nature of these positions, recruiters usually expect their graduates to be admitted and have prior legal experience. If you are thinking of applying for an in-house role, be sure to regularly check Lawyers Weekly jobs, Linked In jobs, as well as Seek and other general recruitment websites for openings. Good luck!  

1 comment:

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