L&E firm work to in-house Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently an associate at one of the big L&E firms (Fisher Phillips, Jackson Lewis, etc.). The hours aren't crushing, but firm life is still firm life. I'm wondering what my realistic exit options are for going in-house and after how many years should I look to make the move? I've been doing my own research and it looks like 5-7 years is the sweet spot. Any advice on how to better position myself for a move would also be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous User]

What market do you work in if you don't mind?

[Anonymous User]

bump.

[Anonymous User]

I moved in-house from a big L&E firm as a 6th year. So, I'd say your 5-7 year sweet spot is about right. I started seriously looking for positions after about 4 years, but didn't find much. I was pretty restrained, though, as I'm in a secondary (or maybe tertiary?) market and did not want to move.

Waiting paid off, as I found a great gig as employment counsel (handling employment litigation and everyday counseling) at a large pharma company. Happy to answer any further questions you might have.

[Anonymous User]

I also was a biglaw associate who made the move in house after 6 years. Most of the jobs I applied to were asking for at least 5-7 years so I was right in the sweet spot for making the move. Got a bunch of interviews pretty quickly. The whole process took me around 6 months, and I ended up with 2 offers. Keep in mind that in-house jobs are very competitive, and it definitely helps to have contacts. But its possible to get a good offer without contacts (I didn't know anyone from either place where I received an offer).

The good thing is that L&E is one of the best routes for going in-house. Every company in every industry needs employment counsel so there are always opportunities available. You just need to be patient, persistent, and cast a wide enough net. Also, make sure you genuinely understand what in-house practice is, and be able to explain why it better suits your career path. That will really distinguish you from others applying simply because they are trying to run away from biglaw.

[Anonymous User]

Not OP but interested in this topic as well. How much should I expect to be paid as an in house L&E lawyer?

[Anonymous User]

I moved in-house from a big L&E firm as a 6th year. So, I'd say your 5-7 year sweet spot is about right. I started seriously looking for positions after about 4 years, but didn't find much. I was pretty restrained, though, as I'm in a secondary (or maybe tertiary?) market and did not want to move.

Waiting paid off, as I found a great gig as employment counsel (handling employment litigation and everyday counseling) at a large pharma company. Happy to answer any further questions you might have.

Did you do employment work for pharma during your time at a firm?

What does comp look like? What level counsel (Assistant GC, Associate GC, etc..)? What's the career progression?

Also, what type of employment work should I be focusing on if trying to go in-house? I'm doing a good amount of wage & hour counseling/litigation, EEOC/Title VII counseling/litigation, some trade secret work. Anything I'm missing to check the box? More audits and investigations?

[Anonymous User]

I moved in-house from a big L&E firm as a 6th year. So, I'd say your 5-7 year sweet spot is about right. I started seriously looking for positions after about 4 years, but didn't find much. I was pretty restrained, though, as I'm in a secondary (or maybe tertiary?) market and did not want to move.

Waiting paid off, as I found a great gig as employment counsel (handling employment litigation and everyday counseling) at a large pharma company. Happy to answer any further questions you might have.

Did you do employment work for pharma during your time at a firm?

What does comp look like? What level counsel (Assistant GC, Associate GC, etc..)? What's the career progression?

Also, what type of employment work should I be focusing on if trying to go in-house? I'm doing a good amount of wage & hour counseling/litigation, EEOC/Title VII counseling/litigation, some trade secret work. Anything I'm missing to check the box? More audits and investigations?

I did very little pharma-related work during my time in biglaw. But I did focus my search on companies in the industries that I worked with often, and which I knew well. So if you work often with pharma companies in big law, that can be a good selling point when applying to in-house roles with those companies.

As for comp, it greatly differs based on the company, industry, location, etc. They started me at $190k with a 20% bonus target, an annual RSU grant, and a few other perks. All in, its about $250k per year. Not the highest I could have gotten going in house as a 6th year, but it was standard for my industry.

As for level, that also depends on the company. At my current company, I was the youngest and least experienced lawyer in the department as a 6th year. So my title was Counsel, which is the most junior legal role in the department. But that is just because my company tends to hire highly experienced people, so the ladder is calibrated a bit higher. I applied to other companies during my search where 5-7 years meant Associate GC or Senior Counsel title.

To best prepare yourself for in-house, its counseling generally that will be your big selling point. You will want to have solid counseling experience in all of the core L&E areas (if the company has a union presence, then labor experience is a big plus as well). As for investigations, that can only help, since employment counsel constantly works alongside HR to handle them. The main thing you want to be able to convey is that you are comfortable being right there in the pit with your client, without any buffer, ready to deal with unfamiliar issues as they arise, and that you are willing to take calculated risks in service of accomplishing business objectives.

[Anonymous User]

I moved in-house from a big L&E firm as a 6th year. So, I'd say your 5-7 year sweet spot is about right. I started seriously looking for positions after about 4 years, but didn't find much. I was pretty restrained, though, as I'm in a secondary (or maybe tertiary?) market and did not want to move.

Waiting paid off, as I found a great gig as employment counsel (handling employment litigation and everyday counseling) at a large pharma company. Happy to answer any further questions you might have.

Did you do employment work for pharma during your time at a firm?

What does comp look like? What level counsel (Assistant GC, Associate GC, etc..)? What's the career progression?

Also, what type of employment work should I be focusing on if trying to go in-house? I'm doing a good amount of wage & hour counseling/litigation, EEOC/Title VII counseling/litigation, some trade secret work. Anything I'm missing to check the box? More audits and investigations?

Looks like there is someone else in a very similar situation to me (I'm the quoted Anon).

I did a little pharma work in my firm, but not much. I certainly did not work extensively with any of my firm's pharma clients.

My title is "Senior Director" and I report to the Assistant GC, who is the top employment lawyer in the company. Career progression is to hopefully replace my boss and assume the Assistant GC title whenever he retires or moves on. I'm happy with my position currently, though--it'll take some time to learn the ins and outs of the company and industry so I'm not in a rush to move up the ranks.

Comp is $170k base (tertiary market), $30k bonus (target), no equity (hopefully that will change next year), 401(k) match, standard benefits.

Being a jack of all trades in employment law is really desirable in-house, so I would suggest you continue your broad practice. I didn't have much experience with FCRA/background check laws and I deal with that stuff fairly frequently; I wish I had more exposure to that at my firm. Also, I deal with a lot of non-competes issues. I wouldn't push for more audits/investigations - in my company, HR typically handles those, and we have a separate regulatory legal team that handles compliance investigations.

[Anonymous User]

edit

[Anonymous User]

Bumping this thread. I'd love to hear from anyone else that has moved from L&E firms (either biglaw or the L&E firms) to in-house. Specifically, compensation, lifestyle, how you searched, etc.