Managing your in-house career: in the driver’s seat

The role of an in-house lawyer has changed considerably over the last decade. In-house lawyers are expected to offer much more than just straightforward legal advice: they must be able to think strategically and advise commercially, often on non-legal matters. For an ambitious junior lawyer looking to progress towards a general counsel (GC) position, the route is not as clear as the path to partnership in private practice. However, lawyers who successfully navigate in-house moves, both internally and externally, will experience great diversity in their careers and promising opportunities both as a lawyer and as a business adviser.

Building relationships

When moving in-house from private practice, most lawyers know that they must adopt a more commercial mindset and be proactive in seeking to understand the business and how the legal function can add value. Chris Fox, chief legal officer at Kambi, advises that networking is key. He explains that understanding the business, while building robust relationships with stakeholders at all levels, facilitates candid conversation, and helps lawyers to be better at managing risk and providing effective commercial solutions to legal problems. In-house lawyers should immerse themselves in the business in order to gain a holistic understanding of the business, which will in turn allow them to provide the best advice possible.

Katie Cosgrove, GC at Nested, agrees that building relationships across the business is the key to success for any in-house lawyer. She considers that the best part about working in-house is the opportunity to work with a wide variety of people and teams, and advises that it is worth taking time to build those relationships early on. She also emphasises that the ability to put things in plain English and to take a clear, pragmatic and commercial judgment call is as important as a willingness to understand the business.

External moves

The route to progressing in-house is not as obvious as in private practice. Even in larger organisations, where lawyers might expect a clear path to their next step, there is often no criteria for promotion that applies neatly to the legal function. Alexis Alexander, head of legal at Liberis, explains that in-house lawyers are often pigeon-holed into trying to fit business metrics that do not adequately capture career progress in the legal department. There are often opportunities to move into different divisions within the business and to take part in non-legal projects, but there is not always recognition of this as part of a promotion criterion in a large company. She notes that the challenge for smaller businesses is explaining the importance of the legal team and why the GC needs a seat at the table in the same way as any other business head.

Katie Cosgrove believes that her willingness to keep moving and learning has meant that she has never felt challenged by a lack of clear-cut progress during her varied in-house career. She notes with approval the trend for senior lawyers to step into GC roles at start-ups, as there is great energy in start-ups at the early stage when everyone is pulling together to build something quickly as a team. She describes this as a “brilliant experience for a lawyer”, as they get to build the legal team from the ground up.

In-house lawyers should not be afraid to move positions externally and to take a risk by working in a start-up environment. However, it will be important to ask the right questions at interview stage to obtain as much information as possible about the business. It may also be useful to obtain advice from a professional network. Networking externally by joining groups of like-minded professionals in order to share ideas and advice is valuable for in-house lawyers, particularly those operating in sole counsel roles in start-up environments.

Mentorship goals

When speaking with senior in-house lawyers about their career paths, finding a mentor seems to be the most common success factor. Many said that a good mentor has helped them throughout their careers and ensured the development of their skillset from both a technical and a soft skills perspective.

Having noticed a lack of options for in-house lawyers when it came to finding a mentor, Claire Debney and Emma Sharpe co-founded MOSAIC, which is a technology mentoring platform for in-house lawyers. They believe that having a good mentor:

Allows lawyers to challenge themselves and their preconceptions, and to reflect in a safe environment.

Provides the ability to refocus the lens through which lawyers view their personal and professional lives, which will help them to build deeper, more meaningful connections with their colleagues and others.

Is useful at all stages of an in-house career as it is always important to have a mentor, during the good times, as well as when things are more challenging.

Alexis Alexander also agrees that mentorship is crucial and notes that her mentors have got her through some tough times. She describes it as feeling “amazing to know that even the most seasoned GCs have been where you were once and felt how you felt”.

Embracing risks

To succeed in the in-house market, lawyers must be agile, seize opportunities within the business when they arise and not be afraid to take a risk with their careers. Holly Sage, head of legal at Farfetch, encourages in-house lawyers to embrace uncertainty. She explains that operating in a fast-paced environment with multiple business challenges means that in-house lawyers will often be called on to advise on unfamiliar topics, but that they should view this as a learning opportunity and throw themselves into each new task, calling on external specialists when necessary.

Making the most of a mentor and a network of trusted peers, recruiters, managers and colleagues will help in-house lawyers with their personal development and career choices (see box “Top career tips for in-house lawyers”). While technology continues to dominate change and lawyers must embrace this, the importance of strong communication skills, an ability to network and a commercial approach will remain vital to success in an in-house role.

Learn more about Thomson Reuters’ Sweet & Maxwell legal resources.

This article was originally published in the January/February 2020 issue of PLC Magazine.

Georgia Morgan-Wynne is Head of C&I at Taylor Root.