Starting my first in house job soon. Is in house just a big circle jerk of pretending you’re busy and pointless meetings?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

Depends. If you are capable you shall receive! If the business team values your work, you will quickly become overwhelmed with work. Lots of dead weight in house.

like

Not for me. I do actual work that helps the company make money lol the meetings I joint are 8/10 times necessary.

like
Recent IconRecent

You forgot babysitting and trying to keep the knuckleheads from (figuratively) burning themselves on the stove or running out into traffic

likefunny

It's even worse when your boss (CEO) is a 70 year old attorney who hasn't practiced in years and still applies law from 30 years ago. Even better when the family gets positions of authority and prioritize his opinion over yours on legal matters. Your days are spent documenting what you advised as CYA with the bar and then cleaning up the messes when they don't listen.

Nope.

like

Not for me, no. Lots of pointless meetings but lots of real work to do.

like

I’m curious but do a lot of law firm attorneys think in-house life is like what OP described? I have two in-house roles and no law firm experience and both roles required hard, substantive work, where legal brought a ton of value.

like

I’m fresh from private practice and yes. It’s also mostly true from what I’ve seen so far. It’s not that in house lawyers don’t work hard. It’s that private practice is an entirely different and much harder beast. It’s faster paced, more stressful and less forgiving.

It’s not for nothing that in house is dominated by women who left at the 5/6 year mark to have kids or joined after having kids.

It probably depends on the job. Definitely a lot more meetings but a good in-house counsel will add value in those meetings rather than pretend to be involved.

like

I had that at one company. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians in that scenario. I did not have that experience at another company.

like

It’s really not culturally insensitive but I was being fishbowl sensitive in my response. My sister is Native American and would scoff at people apologizing for her. As of the very mention of an indian is somehow problematic, now THATS racist.

like

Really depends on your company and your specialty within the company. I can say that isn’t the case at all where I work. Meetings that could’ve been an email yes, but I find myself constantly having to keep our forward thinking business folks in line. There’s a ton of “you did what now?” and treating them like children and saying “no don’t touch that” “leave that alone” as the changes they would like to make would have broad legal impact.

If you’re aware of any circle jerk F100 companies hiring, let me know. I’m looking for easy street from here on out. Lol.

likefunny

Uh, no. Not my experience at all. Lots of real work and interesting meetings where I add actual value. I love being in house!

like

Funny, that’s what I think of big firm associates

like

Kind of the definition of “circle jerk,” isn’t it?

No for me either. I support the revenue side of the business and closing the deals make an impact to the business. Business stakeholders recognize this and sends out kudos to those who helped closed the deal. Plus, I get to do other matters outside my specialty, which offers growth and expansion on skills. Also, you just have to step in with an open mind. Grow a business mindset rather than pure legal thinking. It makes a big difference.

like

F

like

Nope. That sounds horrible, if it is your or anyone else’s experience. You might consider reading The Corporate Counsel Survival Guide by William Kruse before your first day.

like

I think so! I don’t remember it focusing on transactional versus litigation. It’s more about the big picture and how you approach and think about your role, build relationships, approach hard conversations with entrenched stakeholders, etc. I came from a lit background and found it super useful.

Flipping through the table of contents just now, I decided to re-read it. It set me up for early success before going in-house, and I could use a refresher on a few things to keep the momentum going.

like

Business advisor 85%, legal work 15%.

like

And if you just attend meetings and twiddle your thumbs you will likely be considered an unnecessary box business units have to check.

like

If you were previously at a firm, it’ll likely be your first real opportunity to be a lawyer.

like

Depends on the company. I’ve been in-house at a huge company with a large legal team (50+ attorneys) where I feel that many of the meetings were pointless and lots of busy work. I am now at a smaller company (but still considered a “large” company relatively speaking) with 5 attorneys supporting the whole company. I am much busier at current company but also feel that I can make a real impact and add more value.

like

I hope this question is somewhat tongue in cheek. If that is really your idea of in-house, it’s not for you. I find it to be busy, productive, and very fulfilling.

like

Depends on the size and structure of the company. I just left as sole in house for a $20M a year company and was busy af. I’m ab to join a legal department of 600ppl worldwide where I am definitely not at the top. I can’t imagine my experience will be the same as before.

like

No it’s not I’m feeling like an idiot for working 60 hour weeks for FAANG though

like

Is the salary decent? I couldn’t. 30-40 hours is all I could do.

Related Posts

I’m moving from 3 years in medical agency recruitment to one recruiting teachers from a private school network. Internal recruitment is new to me. What changes can I expect?

like

What's the variable pay percentage in Wells Fargo and how much ctc we can expect for 10yrs exp for Specialiat Risk and control management profile?

like

Read two things on Tax News today: Section 199A update, and the Supreme Court ruled that wages received by injured railroad workers is taxable. Does anyone else feel like our work is immoral?

like

It’s a lonely life when no one wants to claim you you. JFK terminal 8.

Post Photo
likefunny

What’re some resources to bring quant up? Need work on timing and competence on some topics

like

Masters Round 1 - 2nd least productive day in April for tax professionals

like

Which consulting firms have mandatory retirements? Are these age limits only for partner level?

In this day and age we live much longer, and plan to work longer, so should these be allowed?

Please suggest which one would be better.
Wipro : 21.5 LPA including variable.
Mindtree : 23 LPA (all fixed)
Tech stack: Service now Developer
Yoe: 6 years.

Which oone would be better in terms of growth and job security??

like

I have informed hr via email that I don't want to join. Cognizant 20 days ago only.But, they wrote mail to me to upload documents by EOD as my joining is coming soon
Will there be any issues if I don't upload my documents by today EOD?Will they call me on mobile and questions me? Anybody experience this before?

like

💠DevOps Openings in LTI💠

Interested can apply in links given or share profiles to
ltireferrals@gmail.com
Immediate to 30 days joiners preferred

Specialist - Software Engineering [3+ yrs]
Azure DevOps
https://r.ripplehire.com/s/bm4SF

Specialist - Software Engineering [3+ yrs]
DevOps with CICD, Jenkins OR Azure DevOps
https://r.ripplehire.com/s/bncts

Associate Principal - Application Architecture [12-15 yrs]
DevOps Architect
https://r.ripplehire.com/s/bm4F6

like

Do people use their HSA to actually pay for health expenses or just as a triple tax advantaged savings account for retirement? Seems like all talk on here emphasizes the tax benefits of it, so I am curious if people use to spend or just save

likehelpful

Hi fishes
A known of mine with 8 years of experience in a leading US Bank industry got an offer from

EXL as AVP/Engagement manager at credit for fintech clients (42+5 LPA)

and

Accenture strategy as Manager in operations for banking (40+3 LPA)

Which one should he go for?
Any suggestions?

like

Any recommendation of rooftop happy hour spot for this Thursday or Friday in the DMV?

like

How is 2 wheeler ABS sw and system testing team in Bosch? Can any one suggest please

like

Anyone who has worked at Wipro, is it just like any other service company or can someone highlight any good differentiator for Wipro in the current high attrition environment?

Babymoon ideas? Where would you suggest/what type of trip and what stage of the pregnancy? Wife is 11 weeks with twins for reference.

like

Do y’all know the 3 Ps of a great car?

like

What are some of your favorite interview questions you have been asked or that you like to ask?

like

Opening in Wipro for VLSI Experience Req: 3-12 years Work Location: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Noida, Pune If interested, please DM your full name and email id

like

Additional Posts in In-House Counsel

Looking for recommendations for document management software - what platforms have you worked with and which were the best / worst?

Company currently has SharePoint - also open to suggestions on how to optimize as the only DMS. Thanks!

like

Outside counsel has been prepping company witnesses for a trial in August. It is my subject area so I am supervising outside counsel. I did not, however, choose the counsel. He is doing a really awful job. Co counsel is better, but not great either. Higher ups love the firm… I do not want to micromanage, but I have genuine concerns about outside counsel’s ability to try this case. Trials are rare, and I just don’t think these guys have actually tried many cases. Cont. below…

like

I just want one day where none of my businesses forgets to loop me in until the 11th hour or realizes we’ve accidentally been violating data privacy laws or gets into a multimillion dollar dispute. Just. One. Day. Is that so much to ask?

likefunny
like

Johnson & Johnson Does anyone have any insight into the work culture at Johnson & Johnson in the legal department? Also, how would companies look at an an associate moving from a law firm trying to negotiate on pay to account for the bonus they would have got at the firm? Thanks!

like

I have a third interview with a start up making their second legal hire. It seems like an exciting space but I’d be leaving a huge company and taking on risk if it works out. Any good questions to ask the GC as a second legal hire? I have management style, work assignments, handled but could use help on some other big ones folks typically ask!

like

What are some questions to ask in an interview to assess culture and WLB without sounding like you don’t want to work hard or put in long hours when it’s needed? And what are some red flags?

like

My company historically paid base comp and bonus based on years out of law school. Level 1 is 1-9, and Level 2 is 10+. Diff if $50k+, easily. My team’s work isn’t distributed any differently based on seniority, and we’re all doing the same subject matter. We have a new GC changing it so bonus can be higher (but not lower) if you take on more work.

Do you think this is a fair system? Is it right to push for equal comp, especially given that there’s a new reward system for doing more work?

like

Hi everyone - does anyone have any general info on the average compensation for in-house counsel at Cargill? I've done some online research (Glassdoor, Comparably, etc.), but would appreciate additional data points, if possible. Thank you!

like

Has anyone recently made the switch to in house and now feel unorganized and less productive than when billing hours? For what it is worth, I’ve received good reviews and my superiors seems to be pleased with my work. Litigation was just so task based because of needing to hit billables, so without that requirement I feel a little like a fish out of water.

like

My background is in tech transactional. I joined a cybersecurity SaaS startup at the end of last year and now also handle more generalist matters in addition to all things commercial-related. I have a number of books on contracts that I’ve found super helpful over the years (The Tech Contracts Handbook, A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, Sign Here, etc.). Can anyone recommend books they’ve found helpful for L&E matters, privacy matters, product matters, or marketing/advertising matters?

like

Is Google a safe in house department to go in to considering state of the economy? For background, third year in big law (corporate).

like
like

I’m thinking of leaving my firm and going in house. What has made you all enjoy doing it or what’s more enjoyable compared to firm life?

like

I am currently at a firm and received an in-house offer. Aside from main items like comp and big ticket benefits like PTO/health insurance/401k, what other items do I need to think about discussing/negotiating? For example, fees to keep bar licensure, professional association fees, CLEs, etc. I feel like there is so much on that end I currently take for granted being covered at my firm. Anything else I should consider?

like

Has anyone had any success switching from IP litigation to in house in a different practice area (e.g., privacy, corporate)? If so, can you please share your experience?

like

How could data science further help in-house counsel do our jobs?

like

Has anyone heard about an offer for employment be rescinded because the background check showed a drivers license suspension 2 years ago due to a third party firm error not informing me on the results of the disputed ticket and requirement to pay ticket fees within specified time. The drivers license has since been in good order and is currently valid but the record shows a past suspension for a speeding ticket.

like

Anyone go coverage (on significant matters, incl London Market) transition to non-insurance in-house roles? If so, anything in particular help you along the way?

like

Any current/former Airbnb counsel here? I have an interview next week and would love to hear about your experience and any advice you’d be willing to share. TIA!

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal