Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:46 pmCurious what broad experience helped you land either of the in-house roles you’ve had. Asking as a Junior IP associated at a big firm whose heard it’s really hard to make the IP/in-house jump.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:48 amAnonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:28 amCurious how you ended up in this role? Did you leave directly from a big firm? What was your practice area?
I started at a big firm, but I was in-house at a multinational company just before moving to this position. My practice area is IP. They were originally looking for IP counsel only but I upsold myself into the GC role because I have broad experience (and I knew that they would inevitably ask me to handle all legal stuff regardless of my official duties).
I was fortunate that I started at a big law firm that let me be unassigned the first two years. So I did mainly patent prosecution work but also did a healthy amount of IP transactions and litigation as well. I also pitched in with M&A, investment management, real estate, and health care work.
That range of experience helped me secure my first in-house gig. They liked my flexibility, because in-house positions are usually generalist rather than specialist. I picked up even more range in-house, such as data security/privacy and export control.
In my current position, the most important thing is to know how to spot issues. I won’t know how to solve most of them myself, but knowing enough to see I need to pull in outside counsel to help me is crucial.
My advice for you is to expand your knowledge outside of your specific practice area. That may mean moving firms to a place that allows you to try different things. Don’t let yourself be pigeonholed, and take the opportunities to learn whatever you can.