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Any thoughts on iCapital?
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Take it. Reevaluate in 2 years. This is a no brainer imo.
This seems like a great deal.
Pro
I’d take it, I wouldn’t see this as pigeonholing yourself due to your prior background/experience in other areas.
This is a large pay increase, I’d jump.
Agree - there are plenty of narratives you can use to explain the decision if you want to pivot back later, like “wanting to round out your experience in this area to equip you for GC-type roles”
Rising Star
u have enough legal experience to be able to learn quickly, work on ur confidence and ur good g
What’s the industry? I’m a product counsel coming from IP land looking for roles with better TC.
Curious how you landed an IP role as I thought IP is very much SME. Is your nitche privacy?
So when I hear IP, I think advising on and filing patents, reviewing trademark use and possibly pursuing infringement claims, etc. Maybe you mean something else, but if not, I don’t think I’d do it, for two reasons. First, high comp sounds great but remember the expectations for what you can deliver will also be high. Second, there’s a lot of risk taking on such a technical space without experience. We’re all smart people, and we can — and do — learn new practice areas, especially in-house. However, if you’d be working alone, not supervised by someone with expertise and/or without authority for a lot of outside counsel spend, I worry about malpractice (yes, agree there’s likely no practical consequence). The real risk to me is getting fired. This is a gamble. Hopefully, you’ll have support, patience and understanding from your new employer as you are coming up to speed. However,
memories can suddenly becoming incredibly short when a client or boss decides you’re just not delivering, and all of a sudden they no longer recall that this is what they signed up for. I have seen it happen and would hate for it to happen to you.
Now, all this said, there may be other factors that support you taking this role. Maybe you’ve been out of work and just need a job, maybe you were very transparent and you really trust your future boss, maybe this is more IP-lite work and less technical and more achievable than I am thinking….or other things.
Because I think we should have each other’s backs, this is my candid assessment.
After considering the pros and cons, though, you should absolutely ultimately trust your gut on this. No doubt you will make the right decision.
All the very best!
Yes, I agree with the other posters. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to not only significantly increase your income but also develop in an highly-desirable area of law.
I would welcome the opportunity to have IP experience. However, such opportunities are often restricted to individuals with a technical undergrad/graduate degree (on top of JD).
The only reason I would not take the position is if I knew that I would not enjoy IP or if I suspected that the company extended the offer not realizing my limitations.
Otherwise, it offers growth and you can always pivot in the future.
I’m also curious about what type of IP work you would be doing. I’m in privacy and have a science background but have not worked in IP and have always thought maybe I’d transition into an IP role if an opportunity ever arises