I just left BigLaw as a mid-level for a generalist in-house role. It took me over a year of searching because I was a litigator in a niche practice, so most companies didn’t want me. My focus in the new role is developing general skills - contracts, transactions, partnerships, IP, etc. - but I don’t want to stay at this company for long, because the pay is subpar for an in-house role at my seniority. What’s the minimum amount of time I can stay before reasonably applying to other in-house roles?

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I think the whole resume has to tell a story, so it's true that seeing less than 2 years somewhere starts to make me nervous, especially if there's more than one. If it's your first inhouse role you are learning, learning, learning, and you don't know yet what you don't know.

But, I also understand the argument that maybe this particular place isn't a good fit for you. I think it's fine probably fine to have one short stint on your resume, but it needs to be followed up with something longer. If you leave this role after short tenure, the next one has to "stick." So you'd better be confident the next role is the right one, because you're kinda stuck there for awhile.

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Probably a year. Though in house salaries generally aren’t as high as the internet will have you believe IME, especially outside of very high end tech or finance, so the grass may not alway be greener.

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Agree with this. The salary variance is huge. Big 4 tech pays like $250 for someone 5 years out, but the vast majority of those roles will be offers in the $100s (including major metro areas), and smaller market offers in the 5 figures are common. Not everyone gets to work at Google.

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I am in a similar situation. Associate in litigation department looking to go in-house. Any tips on improving the job search or attracting more in house positions since you successfully transferee over? Sorry I don’t have an answer for you question btw!

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One thing that I think made a difference for me was to fixing my resume. Originally I had stuff like how many trials I've done, taking expert deps, writing winning briefs, etc. Nobody cared. I got rid of all that and focused on stuff like drafting and negotiating settlement agreements, IP due diligence, etc., I started to get calls.

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I haven’t left my company yet but similar background- litigation then in house generalist- I started getting contacted by recruiters about 6 months in

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When I look at resumes, I am concerned when I see folks staying in a position for less than 2 years, law positions or otherwise. It can be overcome but always raises questions.

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When I make a hiring decision, I am interested in getting an ROI. Hiring someone is an investment by me and my firm. Less than 2 years makes me question the candidates commitment.

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Our managing attorney pretty much said he thinks it takes 3 years to master a role, but also starts to wonder if someone is competitive/flexible after 5 years in a role.

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I left after 1.5 years, but I plan to stay in my current 2nd in-house job much longer. I also felt I was being underpaid in my first in-house job (which seems common), but once I had some in-house experience, I had a lot more options.

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How long have you been there?

30 seconds! But don’t move until you find the next step up the ladder where you’d like to stay for several years. Include in your employment agreement the raises/compensation/benefits you would like to incentivize your continued employment.

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