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I'm looking to make a move in-house and applying to some of the FAANG companies. How competitive is it to land a spot at these companies? Biglaw midlevel (M&A), and have spent time at both a v50 and currently been at a v30 for over a year.

I just received an in-house offer from one of the FAANG. Midlevel M&A associate at V30. I can only speak for my company, but I would say the application process is quite competitive. Based on the LinkedIn listing, the position received hundreds of applications (but no idea how qualified the other applicants were). The interview process was much longer than a firm interview (I lateraled from another big law firm), with multiple rounds and a written test (that I took very seriously), and I was asked questions related to both technical ability and cultural fit. I wouldn’t rely on just your credentials to get an offer - I put in a lot of time researching the role and coming up with explanations of why I thought I could work well in the company’s culture. So happy it worked out in the end but realize I could have easily been rejected after each round.

In-house jobs are very competitive overall, and often require having some good contacts with your target companies (though most with great qualifications will generally land something after awhile, especially if they are flexible). And in-house jobs at the most desirable companies are going to be extremely competitive. For jobs with those companies, its not enough to be qualified. You will need to find a way to distinguish yourself from all of the other equally-qualified applicants. Most people don't really think about selling themselves in that way, but its necessary for those types of jobs.

I have a friend that works in-house at FAANG and the process he described was quite competitive. I don't work at FAANG specifically, but I do work in-house at a comparable company and the process was very competitive. They told me close to 500 people applied, and it took around 4 months from first interview to offer. It involved 4 rounds of interviewing, including 3 rounds of in-person visits (each was 2-3 hours).

My best advice is really take some time to sharpen your resume and cover letter, try and network with people and see if you have contacts at your target companies, and find any way you can to distinguish yourself from the pack. Part of that will be really making clear why you want to work in-house, and showing that you fully understand what it means to work in-house (according to my boss, very few people during the interview process genuinely seemed to have thought this through in an introspective way).

My info may be out of date, but I would not assume that all FAANG's are similar. For engineers the grouping may make sense, but Amazon (at least as of ~5 years ago) had a high turnover/churn rate, plus the preference that people move to Seattle made it harder for them to find people ( they had to recruit out of law firms, rather than the other way around). Plus, for law stuff, it really makes more sense to consider Netflix an entertainment company than a tech company.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:51 am

I just received an in-house offer from one of the FAANG. Midlevel M&A associate at V30. I can only speak for my company, but I would say the application process is quite competitive. Based on the LinkedIn listing, the position received hundreds of applications (but no idea how qualified the other applicants were). The interview process was much longer than a firm interview (I lateraled from another big law firm), with multiple rounds and a written test (that I took very seriously), and I was asked questions related to both technical ability and cultural fit. I wouldn’t rely on just your credentials to get an offer - I put in a lot of time researching the role and coming up with explanations of why I thought I could work well in the company’s culture. So happy it worked out in the end but realize I could have easily been rejected after each round.

Hey this is really helpful. (I’m a different anon from the OP.) I’m currently a mid-level tech trans associate from one of the major Bay Area firms looking to go in house soon. Does the calculus change for commercial or product counsel positions (any less competitive)? Just looking for more anecdata. Also if you wouldn’t mind sharing comp range/hours, that would also be helpful. From my own experience asking around, I hear FAANG associate counsel positions are mid to high 200s all in (including signing bonus, equity and base).

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 27, 2020 11:20 am

Hey this is really helpful. (I’m a different anon from the OP.) I’m currently a mid-level tech trans associate from one of the major Bay Area firms looking to go in house soon. Does the calculus change for commercial or product counsel positions (any less competitive)? Just looking for more anecdata. Also if you wouldn’t mind sharing comp range/hours, that would also be helpful. From my own experience asking around, I hear FAANG associate counsel positions are mid to high 200s all in (including signing bonus, equity and base).

Sure, my all-in comp is mid-200s. Hours are supposed to be OK (supposedly rare late night and weekends), but honestly I won’t truly know until I start. But my role is no longer M&A deal based, so hoping that my hours will be much more predictable. And another obvious improvement is no longer having to bill hours. Sorry can’t speak to difference between commercial and product bc I don’t know enough.

At these tech companies, what kind of roles are there for litigators? Are they more competitive?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 27, 2020 11:20 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:51 am

I just received an in-house offer from one of the FAANG. Midlevel M&A associate at V30. I can only speak for my company, but I would say the application process is quite competitive. Based on the LinkedIn listing, the position received hundreds of applications (but no idea how qualified the other applicants were). The interview process was much longer than a firm interview (I lateraled from another big law firm), with multiple rounds and a written test (that I took very seriously), and I was asked questions related to both technical ability and cultural fit. I wouldn’t rely on just your credentials to get an offer - I put in a lot of time researching the role and coming up with explanations of why I thought I could work well in the company’s culture. So happy it worked out in the end but realize I could have easily been rejected after each round.

Hey this is really helpful. (I’m a different anon from the OP.) I’m currently a mid-level tech trans associate from one of the major Bay Area firms looking to go in house soon. Does the calculus change for commercial or product counsel positions (any less competitive)? Just looking for more anecdata. Also if you wouldn’t mind sharing comp range/hours, that would also be helpful. From my own experience asking around, I hear FAANG associate counsel positions are mid to high 200s all in (including signing bonus, equity and base).

I received an offer from a non FAANG (but Bay Area well known tech company). In terms of competitiveness and total comp, i would say it goes from traditional AGC -> product counsel -> commercial counsel. FYI i wouldnt say commercial counsel is "easy to get" as you need have a good amount of tech and contracts experience, but lifestyle seems better.

I’m the second TTG anon. Appreciate everyone’s input!

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:51 am

I just received an in-house offer from one of the FAANG. Midlevel M&A associate at V30. I can only speak for my company, but I would say the application process is quite competitive. Based on the LinkedIn listing, the position received hundreds of applications (but no idea how qualified the other applicants were). The interview process was much longer than a firm interview (I lateraled from another big law firm), with multiple rounds and a written test (that I took very seriously), and I was asked questions related to both technical ability and cultural fit. I wouldn’t rely on just your credentials to get an offer - I put in a lot of time researching the role and coming up with explanations of why I thought I could work well in the company’s culture. So happy it worked out in the end but realize I could have easily been rejected after each round.

How long did your process take?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:10 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:51 am

I just received an in-house offer from one of the FAANG. Midlevel M&A associate at V30. I can only speak for my company, but I would say the application process is quite competitive. Based on the LinkedIn listing, the position received hundreds of applications (but no idea how qualified the other applicants were). The interview process was much longer than a firm interview (I lateraled from another big law firm), with multiple rounds and a written test (that I took very seriously), and I was asked questions related to both technical ability and cultural fit. I wouldn’t rely on just your credentials to get an offer - I put in a lot of time researching the role and coming up with explanations of why I thought I could work well in the company’s culture. So happy it worked out in the end but realize I could have easily been rejected after each round.

How long did your process take?

2 months, which I thought was really long, but another poster up there said the process for a non-FAANG but comparable company took 4 months. I also interviewed and received an offer/made it to the final round with a few other smaller companies, and their process was a little shorter, maybe about a month each.

Separately, does anyone have any experience with Amazon hiring? I've had a recruiter from there reach out to me in the past (the recruiter worked for Amazon, not like a 3rd party recruiting firm), but at the time I wasn't interested in transitioning just yet.

Does working through their recruiter give any kind of advantage vs. just applying through LinkedIn or wherever else?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:51 am

Separately, does anyone have any experience with Amazon hiring? I've had a recruiter from there reach out to me in the past (the recruiter worked for Amazon, not like a 3rd party recruiting firm), but at the time I wasn't interested in transitioning just yet.

Does working through their recruiter give any kind of advantage vs. just applying through LinkedIn or wherever else?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question, but it seems to me that the answer if OF COURSE work through their recruiter. If you apply through LinkedIn, a recruiter (or an algorithm) will review your application along with 500 other applications - getting noticed is probably the biggest hurdle. If you have the contact info of a person whose job it is to shepherd people through the recruiting process, why wouldn't that person be your first call?

justanotherlurker wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:58 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:51 am

Separately, does anyone have any experience with Amazon hiring? I've had a recruiter from there reach out to me in the past (the recruiter worked for Amazon, not like a 3rd party recruiting firm), but at the time I wasn't interested in transitioning just yet.

Does working through their recruiter give any kind of advantage vs. just applying through LinkedIn or wherever else?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question, but it seems to me that the answer if OF COURSE work through their recruiter. If you apply through LinkedIn, a recruiter (or an algorithm) will review your application along with 500 other applications - getting noticed is probably the biggest hurdle. If you have the contact info of a person whose job it is to shepherd people through the recruiting process, why wouldn't that person be your first call?

I totally agree, I just wondered how helpful that is I guess. Maybe silly question.

Would anyone mind speaking to the possibility of working in-house for FAANG or another major tech company if you’re coming from another area of law? I’m a junior associate at a Texas office doing a lot of energy work but wanting to pivot to another industry. Wondering if I could be considered for those positions based on M&A experience or if I should look to lateral then go in house.