Is it better to go in-house as a mid-level BL associate (4/5 YOE) and work your way up to a more senior in-house position or stay in BL for a few more years (7/8 YOE) and start at a more senior in-house position?

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One of the good things about biglaw’s up or out model is that you have to stay useful at a high billing rate so people tend to grow if they are still there (not always - I’ve seen some seniors hyperspecialized as part of a specific practice to the point of being useless, like the lawyer equivalent of a pug or miniature bonsai tree.)

With in-house jobs, you cant count on there being any budget for learning or growth. You usually have to lateral to get a significant bump in responsibility and title just because most orgs have relatively few roles and the timing of the opening has to work right with your career trajectory. when people do get promoted internally they often have been deliberately waiting around for a job they could have got a year or two sooner if they lateraled.

so that’s all points in favor for riding out biglaw as long as your body and psyche can stand it.

On the other hand there is a strong preference to hire people with prior in house experience - at my last job resumes from firm associates went straight into the round file unless nobody else applied. That preference is less flexible the more senior you go.

So i would start looking for in house jobs as a midlevel now knowing it can take some time to find the right one. also find opportunities to do tech trans/privacy work at your firm, skills-wise if you can demonstrate you’re a good generalist that sets you ahead of 90% of associates

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Here's what I'd consider if I were in your shoes: every time I hire an attorney from a firm, I consider it a coin flip as to whether the disposition will work in-house (they are surprisingly different jobs). So, when I'm looking to hire an attorney, I'm much more likely to consider someone with in-house experience (and preferable advancement and/or a lot of different experiences that shows someone who is valued).

BUT, I think for GC job, many companies are more likely to take a senior expert from a firm. I jumped around and then worked my way up to GC, but plenty of people go straight to GC from the Firm, particularly at smaller companies.

So, it may depend on what you're hoping to do.

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5-7 is the in-house sweet spot

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