Going In-House

1. 800. 973.1177

CAREER CORNER

Going In-House [by Nancy Hatch Woodward and Ellen Parson] Every day at 5:30 p.m., the deception begins.

Needing to pick up her child from daycare, a female attorney places a full cup of coffee on her desk, leaves the lights on, pretends to visit the ladies’ room, and then sneaks down five flights of stairs to her car, where she has purposely left her purse to help speed a swift getaway that enables her to avoid being seen by her supervisors.

What makes this story surprising is not

Cynthia Calvert, co-director of PAR and dep-

The real benefit to an in-house job can

simply the extreme lengths the attorney uses

uty director of the Program on WorkLife Law,

come if the lawyers have weekends off or

to avoid being seen leaving work “early,” but

understands why many attorneys believe

the corporation provides alternative work

that it was told by a lawyer working in-house

going in-house will improve their lifestyles.

arrangements, such as part time or job shar-

in a corporate legal department, where work

After working for a Washington, DC, law

ing. PAR found that in-house attorneys “can

hours are supposed to be better.

firm for 14 years, she started her own law

create balance in ways typically not available

practice working as an employment attorney.

to lawyers in law firms, such as flextime,

The attorney was interviewed during a recent

Her move was motivated largely by a desire

compressed workweeks, and job sharing.”

study conducted by the Project for Attorney

to have more flexibility in her schedule.

The study noted, however, that there seems

Retention (PAR), a program of American

to be a greater stigma attached to part-time

University Washington College of Law. The

However, although the assumption that in-

work for in-house lawyers than for those at

“Corporate Counsel Work/Life Report”--

house posts provide more flexibility may have

law firms.

funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and

been true in the past, Ms. Calvert said things

supported by the Women’s Bar Association of

began to change in the late 1980s and early

The corporate world also is not necessar-

the District of Columbia--examined whether

1990s when the dot-com craze required busi-

ily less stressful. According to PAR, while

the quality of life for attorneys is better in-

nesspeople to work longer hours, especially

in-house lawyers are not burdened with

house than in law firms.

in technology-related companies.

cultivating clients or meeting required bill-

According to some respondents, it is not.

“Although in the past it might have been true

required. In addition, company departments

able-hour requirements, more travel is often that going in-house would give you a life, the

or the general counsel may be on deadline,

The PAR study found that lawyers in corpora-

economic pressures of the last decade and

calling lawyers at the last minute for advice

tions often work 50 or more hours per week.

a half really changed that,” Ms. Calvert said.

or assistance, requiring in-house lawyers

Although that may be fewer hours than

“The people working in-house by and large

to be available to satisfy other people’s

required in a law firm, it is still longer than

are working just as long and hard as those in

schedules.

many in-house attorneys expect. The study

law firms.”

Ms. Calvert urges attorneys considering

noted that because of current economic conditions, some companies have increased the

After conducting focus groups and one-on-

in-house positions to do their homework.

amount of work their lawyers have to handle.

one interviews, Ms. Calvert found that many

She advises talking to existing staff mem-

in-house attorneys were putting in long

bers (both men and women) at a prospec-

“It is not uncommon in our office to work 50,

hours at their desks, as well as spending

tive company and asking such questions as:

55, or even 60 hours a week,” admitted John

even more time working outside of the office

What’s a typical day’s work like? What kind

Callison, Senior Deputy General Counsel,

than their law firm counterparts. “A lot of the

of hours do you log in the office and out? Are

Vanderbilt University. “On the other hand,

in-house people we talked to reported that

you interrupted while on vacation or expected

I’ve been able to arrange my schedule to be

they felt they were on call with blackberries

to cancel vacations at the last minute?

able to attend my children’s sports activities

and beepers,” she said. “A lot of them were

and be a central part of their lives, some-

getting phone calls all hours of the day and

“Looking at the personnel handbook is not

thing a lot of private-practice lawyers don’t

night and on weekends at their homes to talk

gong to cut it for lawyers, because often-

get a chance to do.”

about business.”

times those policies don’t apply to the legal department,” Ms. Calvert said. “Asking them

PAGE 1

continued on back

1.800. 973. 1177

CAREER CORNER

blunt questions about hours and flexibility

David Lewis, Chief Legal Officer at Erlanger

Although Ms. Calvert said results from her

often doesn’t get you very far either, but if

Health System, finds that the in-house set-

study did not find that most in-house attor-

you ask them when the last time they got a

ting is very intellectually satisfying because

neys were insecure about their jobs, they did

phone call at home to talk about work was, it

attorneys are at the center of the action and

express concern about salaries and bonuses.

doesn’t raise their defenses.”

involved in a lot of the important decisions

As a general rule, in-house attorneys pull

that the client is making. “You get to know

in smaller salaries than those at law firms.

Attorneys wanting to work in-house usually

that client and its management team very

“We talked to some folks whose businesses

make their moves within the first 10 years

well. You get to sit at the table and be a part

weren’t doing well, and they were clearly

of practice (typically around the seven- or

of management and interact with the Board

making less,” Ms. Calvert said. “We also

eight-year mark-the same time most firms

of Directors,” he said.

had some in-house attorneys with 10 or 12

promote partners).

years of experience making less than a firstMs. Greenberg, who has worked at a law firm

year associate at a firm. That can be really

Switching legal fields is becoming more and

and as an in-house attorney, also noted that

demoralizing and is something to watch out

more common for attorneys today, according

there is often more camaraderie between

for.”

to Hindi Greenberg, president and founder

the members of the legal team at a company

of Lawyers in Transition, an organization

then at a law firm, where each practitioner is

At the same time, experts say, lawyers who

that helps lawyers shape their careers. The

generally working independently of the other

have been in small- or medium-size firms or

reason is that very often attorneys have not

lawyers in the firm.

those who have worked in government positions may find their salaries increasing by

thought through their career aspirations, so they take the first seemingly good job offer.

In addition, in-house lawyers have grown

joining a large corporation, especially if the

Later, they reevaluate their decisions and

in stature over the last decade or so. In the

company offers stock options, bonuses, or

start to look at other options, including in-

past, they did not have the same status as

other incentives.

house positions, Ms. Greenberg said.

someone at a name law firm, Ms. Greenberg said. “Today,” she added, “law firms court

A big disadvantage to in-house positions,

For some, the decision to go in-house stems

corporations, and it’s the corporate attorney

Mr. Lewis noted, is that the lawyer/client

from a desire to focus their efforts on a

who often oversees the law firm attorneys,

relationship is terminable by the client at

single client and be more involved with stra-

so there is much more status in that type of

any time. If an attorney is in private practice

tegic decision making.

position than there used to be.”

with 100 clients and one decides that he/she

“In a law firm, you often only know piecemeal

Attorneys considering in-house jobs also

he/she still has 99 others who do, Mr. Lewis

things about a client’s business,” explained

must evaluate compensation, career de-

noted. However, if a client decides not to use

Ms. Greenberg, who is also the author of The

velopment, and job security issues, as well

the services of an in-house lawyer, Mr. Lewis

Lawyer’s Career Change Handbook, 2nd ed.

as how appealing their backgrounds and

added, he or she will be fired.

(Harper Collins 2002), “whereas, if you are

specialties are to employers. Ms. Calvert

working in a corporation, you get to learn all

said most corporations will only consider

Becoming an in-house attorney is not right

about the company’s business.”

attorneys with a broad base of experience

for everyone. Ms. Greenberg suggested that

and a business focus. “They like people who

lawyers thinking about making such moves

Another advantage to having just one cli-

have backgrounds in management-side

should ask themselves what it is about their

ent is that you have more control over your

employment law, real estate transactions,

current situation that makes them want to

practice, said Mr. Callison, because with one

securities, and contracts,” she said. “They’re

change. Is it because they are dissatisfied

client you can be in consultation with man-

not going to be interested in someone with

with their environment? Or is it because an

agement about what is the most important

a background in criminal or family law. If

in-house job sounds more enticing? They

issue that needs your attention. When you

you have a general litigation background,

also must ask themselves if they prefer

have a hundred clients, they each feel as

it’s going to be tougher for you to get hired

working alone or with a few other attorneys,

though their needs are where the attorney’s

in-house.”

which is possible in a law firm, or enjoy being

does not want to use that attorney anymore,

focus should be placed.

PAGE 2

a team player, which generally is required in

continued

CAREER CORNER

a large company.

Ultimately, the decision whether or not to go in-house is extremely personal. Experts advise lawyers considering such a move to research a prospective company to make sure the company’s product and mission interest them, because making the business successful will be their main focus.

PAGE 3

1.800. 973. 1177