Feeling under-qualified for non-FAANG tech product counsel role. Final interview upcoming. I'm a BigLaw junior and pivoted to data privacy/cybersecurity a year ago.

Is this just normal impostor syndrome? Does anyone feel truly *prepared* to go in-house? I have little to no experience advising on product and do mostly incident response, but this seems like a unicorn-level opportunity I can't pass up (great comp, role, and willing to hire me, a junior).

Any insight is deeply appreciated.

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I went in house straight from law school and lead my company's product compliance team (non FAANG tech company). All my hires don't have real tech product compliance backgrounds. I care most about how well you can analyze something take it apart and out it back together, figure out the reqs for all 50 states and put them together to create a baseline, write clearly in a way that's understandable to non lawyers and other general legal skills

likehelpful

A lawyer’s best skill is in being able to train one’s self in anything. If they have confidence in you, that’s half the battle. Search through here for “what should new in-house counsel do” to get a head start. And good luck!

likeuplifting

OP here: I'll emphasize that I despise firm life and want to go in-house ASAP. While this company seems busy, the WLB is undoubtedly better. Alternative would be to suck it up and transfer to a C/G/F/WSGR for slightly better WLB and get tech trans training/experience and then go in-house after another year.

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I work at a law firm recruiting for their alternative staffing program, which allows you to work on substantive work for clients, but doesn’t have a billable req. Could potentially be a good backup. Work is remote and hiring is limited to a few legal centers in the US (NY, DC, CA, WA, etc). Dm me to talk

I went straight from law school to in-house, where I stayed for 5 years. You will absolutely be fine. The monotony of your work might drive you mad, but you'll definitely be able to handle whatever they throw at you.

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I'm at a firm now - there is more, and more varied, work. However, everything takes 3x longer to get through reviews and client approvals. It's a mixed bag. My best advice is to make sure, when you go in-house, that you're not going to be pigeon-holed into a particular role/set of tasks and written off as an individual. In-house has great WLB, but it's incredibly easy to get "stuck" in a position, so make sure you at least get to do some managing or something that you can use to justify further promotions and keep your brain from rebelling against the monotony.

Hell I didn’t even feel prepared to move in house from 1 media company to another. Got imposter syndrome for job #2 because I felt out of my depth and underqualified. It was fine!!

likeuplifting

Deep breathe. You got this.

likeuplifting

In terms of preparedness, their willingness to hire a junior suggests there may be an expectation of a learning curve. I’d clarify expectations for your first year before accepting an offer if you have reservations. Otherwise, give yourself some grace, you will be fine. Good luck!

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