Former V10, current tech in-house counsel taking questions Forum

[dudevondude]

Will be here for a bit...probably back tomorrow as well. shoot.

[Grazzhoppa]

What was your career path? Undergrad major, law school, how many years at v10? Why and how did you leave?

[dudevondude]

What was your career path? Undergrad major, law school, how many years at v10? Why and how did you leave?

Undergrad major was civil engineering. After undergrad I worked in management consulting for about 3 years, then lived abroad for year and a half. T14 law school, then V10 corporate associate for 4 years. Got lucky and received a call from my current company's recruiting department. Decided to interview and got even luckier and received an offer. I really didn't see myself at firm long term, and although I wasn't actively looking to leave (or was particularly unhappy), I thought this was too hard of an opportunity to pass up.

[bk1]

Why do you consider yourself lucky to have gotten the job? What do you think made them reach out to you and choose you over others?

What do you do in-house?

[Anonymous User]

I'm at a V20 right now doing IP lit. CS/EE background. T10 law school. Decent grades (right around top 1/3). Would I even have a shot at getting interviewed for a position like yours after 3 years of experience, mostly in patent lit?

[dudevondude]

Mostly, I consider myself lucky because I feel like this great opportunity kind of fell in my lap - I wasn't looking for a job at the time they reached out to me (though I eventually did plan to go in-house) - so I basically just interviewed and got it. There are some uber impressive people that work here, and I don't think there is anything really particular on paper that separates me from anyone else. I think a lot of it was just fit. Moreover, competition for positions at my company is fierce, and I don't think I did anything especially impressive to garner my employment here.

I do primarily M&A here, though I have ventured into general commercial agreements and IP transactional matters. They are pretty flexible with what we work on, so as long as we aren't completely neglecting our particular practice group, we are pretty free to work on matters we find interesting.

[dudevondude]

I'm at a V20 right now doing IP lit. CS/EE background. T10 law school. Decent grades (right around top 1/3). Would I even have a shot at getting interviewed for a position like yours after 3 years of experience, mostly in patent lit?

I wouldn't necessarily let the 3 years of experience rule you out for interviews. If it's not already clear, I work for one of the large tech firms in SV. I know many people working in-house at other tech firms, and it seems like there has been a general trend to bring in more junior-ish type associates. I think companies here know they can offer competitive pay and a quality lifestyle, and can save significantly on outside counsel costs by bringing in people early and bringing them up within their "system". I would keep an eye out for job postings that might lend themselves to junior positions, and I'd say that you don't have anything to lose by submitting resume. However, probably unlikely that with 3 years under your belt you would have a chance to interview, unless the company was specifically seeking out someone with that experience.

[Anonymous User]

What was the change in pay like when you moved from biglaw to in-house?

[TatNurner]

What was the change in pay like when you moved from biglaw to in-house?

My mistake, didn't mean to post this anonymous.

[expat]

Was your V10 office in NY or CA? Do you think this makes a difference for recruiting at your company? Was any particular corporate experience valued more than others (m&a, cap mkts, etc)?

[thisiswater]

What was your career path? Undergrad major, law school, how many years at v10? Why and how did you leave?

Undergrad major was civil engineering. After undergrad I worked in management consulting for about 3 years, then lived abroad for year and a half. T14 law school, then V10 corporate associate for 4 years. Got lucky and received a call from my current company's recruiting department. Decided to interview and got even luckier and received an offer. I really didn't see myself at firm long term, and although I wasn't actively looking to leave (or was particularly unhappy), I thought this was too hard of an opportunity to pass up.

Do you mean you took a year and a half off completely before law school?

This is something I am considering but I wasn't sure if it would look flighty to schools/firms/companies.

[Anonymous User]

dudevondude,

Do you have any tips for preparing for interview?

I have an interview for an in house position at an automotive corp. working corporate/ transactions next week.

[piccolittle]

Was your firm known for tech work? Do you feel the specialty ranking of the firm matters more than the Vault ranking? Did most people in your department do tech-related work at their firm, or is general corporate a more common background?

[Anonymous User]

What are your thoughts on the "right" time to go inhouse? I want to be doing exactly what you are doing but on the east coast (granted I have no hard science background). I don't see myself staying at a firm all the way to partnership but I'm not particularly unhappy. I'm learning a lot year over year so I'm worried if I leave too early I'll stunt my growth professionally; however, I think I'll be happier inhouse. If it matters, I do M&A and equity financings mostly (a little bit of debt financing too). Another concern is long term career prospects, if I go inhouse and the company gets sold or goes belly up, I want to still be marketable.

Any general advice on getting a job like yours with my background? I want to still be transaction/deal focused inhouse long term.

[yarsten]

I'm a current civil engineering master's student, attending HYS in fall
Have you taken the patent bar/ did you do any significant patent work at the firm?
I know that the civil degree lets me sit for the patent bar, but I've heard that 'civil's are regarded as second-class citizens in the IP world when compared to the more desirable EE/CS/ME degrees. Have you seen this? I'm wondering if I should even be shooting for IP or if my talents would be more effective elsewhere. Kind of off topic, but thanks ahead of time!

[Anonymous User]

I'm an EE (8 yrs WE as eng) at a T14 with a V10 SA. If I get a chance to go work for a tech company straight out of law school with comparable to biglaw starting pay (this is likely) - do you think I should do it? Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

I'm an EE (8 yrs WE as eng) at a T14 with a V10 SA. If I get a chance to go work for a tech company straight out of law school with comparable to biglaw starting pay (this is likely) - do you think I should do it? Thanks.

How did you get such an opportunity? I have pretty much the same stats, and I wouldn't mind going that route. Is it likely to land something like that, or is it through your connections?

[Anonymous User]

I'm an EE (8 yrs WE as eng) at a T14 with a V10 SA. If I get a chance to go work for a tech company straight out of law school with comparable to biglaw starting pay (this is likely) - do you think I should do it? Thanks.

How did you get such an opportunity? I have pretty much the same stats, and I wouldn't mind going that route. Is it likely to land something like that, or is it through your connections?

I used to work for them as an engineer and as an agent. But I wonder at times if that would be career suicide.

[bree]

1) What areas of legal practice most easily transition to in-house counsel positions at TECH companies specifically? For example, at your company, where did the lawyers come from? (M&A, Capital Markets, Patent Prosecution, Patent Litigation, IP Transactional)

2) Is there any area of law that you wish that you knew more about before making the jump in-house?

3) How would you compare the nature of the work in-house and at a law firm? Not the hours/pay/etc but more do you get to do the interesting parts, what is it like serving only 1 client instead of multiple clients, etc...

Thanks!

[Anciano]

Tagging the thread because I'm really curious about the responses to some of the questions others have asked. Thanks a lot for doing this, dudevondude.