In-House Counsel: My Daily Journal Forum

[Anonymous User]

About me: I'm a former biglaw associate and current corporate counsel. I spent a lot of time on this board during law school and am hoping to pay it forward by chronicling what a day-in-the-life of in-house counsel looks like. My goal is to write a daily entry of what I do each day & journal for at least a couple of weeks. If there's enough interest, I'll continue doing it.

Will have my first entry tomorrow -- thank you for reading!

[hangtime813]

About me: I'm a former biglaw associate and current corporate counsel. I spent a lot of time on this board during law school and am hoping to pay it forward by chronicling what a day-in-the-life of in-house counsel looks like. My goal is to write a daily entry of what I do each day & journal for at least a couple of weeks. If there's enough interest, I'll continue doing it.

Will have my first entry tomorrow -- thank you for reading!

Looking forward to this. Please share market/industry/comp if you can too. Thanks!

[Definitely Not North]

Cool. Also interested in some context

[Anonymous User]

AM: Wake up and check email on phone. It’s a habit from my BigLaw days of keeping work iPhone on the nightstand.  Make coffee and open up laptop. Prep for my morning meeting, which is with my manager. Get a text from a former colleague who wants to catch up, so I’ll call him back after lunch. Meeting with manager goes well, and I gain his alignment on a gameplan for when we connect again later today to debrief his boss on the issue we’ve been working on.

PM: Make lunch and keep an eye on email. Catch up with former colleague who asks if I’m interested in coming over to his new company. I’m actually pretty happy with my job (particularly given my boss who is awesome), but it never hurts to see what’s out there. A rush email comes in, so I tell former colleague that it was good to chat. I analyze and figure out next steps for the rush email for a while and then Zoom into the meeting with my manager’s manager. The meeting is pretty good, and I have my action items from that. Send out follow-up emails and meeting invites for later this week. I need to look at a few things for a different task, but I’m wondering if any other emails will come later today related to it, so I block off time tomorrow to handle it all at once.

Exchange texts with a friend who’s still at the firm since a second connection on LinkedIn wants to talk to me about the firm. I’m happy to chat -- I was one of those weirdos who kind of enjoyed BigLaw and the firm (IMHO) was a pretty good experience. I just want to tee up a current associate at the firm in case the LinkedIn contact wants to speak with an actual associate there. One last peek at my inbox, and I have a final email which I answer, and then it’s time to call it a day. Sporadically monitor email on my phone during the evening. Most of the time, no emails come in after hours, but every once in a while, there’s a fire drill, so I check just in case.

@hangtime813 and @DefinitelyNotNorth -- thank you for your questions. I started out in VHCOL BigLaw and have since moved to a different city that’s the headquarters of my employer. In terms of comp, I’ve posted before in the salary comp thread and would prefer to keep that there. Suffice to say, my BigLaw friend makes over $400k according to BigLaw Investor’s salary scale (https://www.biglawinvestor.com/biglaw-salary-scale/), and as expected, I don’t make more than them. I will say, though, my (usual) 9-5 schedule definitely makes up for it!

[Anonymous User]

AM: Wake up and check email on phone. It’s a habit from my BigLaw days of keeping work iPhone on the nightstand.  Make coffee and open up laptop. Prep for my morning meeting, which is with my manager. Get a text from a former colleague who wants to catch up, so I’ll call him back after lunch. Meeting with manager goes well, and I gain his alignment on a gameplan for when we connect again later today to debrief his boss on the issue we’ve been working on.

PM: Make lunch and keep an eye on email. Catch up with former colleague who asks if I’m interested in coming over to his new company. I’m actually pretty happy with my job (particularly given my boss who is awesome), but it never hurts to see what’s out there. A rush email comes in, so I tell former colleague that it was good to chat. I analyze and figure out next steps for the rush email for a while and then Zoom into the meeting with my manager’s manager. The meeting is pretty good, and I have my action items from that. Send out follow-up emails and meeting invites for later this week. I need to look at a few things for a different task, but I’m wondering if any other emails will come later today related to it, so I block off time tomorrow to handle it all at once.

Exchange texts with a friend who’s still at the firm since a second connection on LinkedIn wants to talk to me about the firm. I’m happy to chat -- I was one of those weirdos who kind of enjoyed BigLaw and the firm (IMHO) was a pretty good experience. I just want to tee up a current associate at the firm in case the LinkedIn contact wants to speak with an actual associate there. One last peek at my inbox, and I have a final email which I answer, and then it’s time to call it a day. Sporadically monitor email on my phone during the evening. Most of the time, no emails come in after hours, but every once in a while, there’s a fire drill, so I check just in case.

@hangtime813 and @DefinitelyNotNorth -- thank you for your questions. I started out in VHCOL BigLaw and have since moved to a different city that’s the headquarters of my employer. In terms of comp, I’ve posted before in the salary comp thread and would prefer to keep that there. Suffice to say, my BigLaw friend makes over $400k according to BigLaw Investor’s salary scale (https://www.biglawinvestor.com/biglaw-salary-scale/), and as expected, I don’t make more than them. I will say, though, my (usual) 9-5 schedule definitely makes up for it!

Very nice, but not salacious enough. Tell us more about you and your manager debriefing your boss though, that sounds like it could be juicy!

Sorry accidental anon - legalpotato

[Anonymous User]

AM: Same routine. Coffee, email on phone, and email on laptop. I have a meeting first thing today, so I weigh in with my thoughts. My boss calls, and we walk through talking points for a meeting we’re both in tomorrow. Related emails from the morning meeting come up, so I spend some time thinking through the issues. My other meetings today get cancelled, hooray!

PM: Lunch, prep for tomorrow’s meetings, and keep an eye out on emails. A contact reaches out about wanting to go in-house, so I talk to her about networking, resume tips, and interview guidance. Power through all the related tasks for the one big project from yesterday, and send along to a senior colleague to discuss further. A couple emails come in during the late afternoon. I answer those and call it a day.

@legalpotato -- haha! Nothing like that over here. I work in a few different areas of law, so it’s mostly making sure the right stakeholders are kept up to date and in the loop on the various matters.

[CiFULA]

Checking in! Hope to see this continue.

[legalpotato]

Checking in! Hope to see this continue.

Agree - rough timestamps might be nice for those of us hoping for a better life (i.e., when did the day start, when did it end, when did any after-hours stuff happen and for how long)

[bigboybob]

Can you add in your extracurriculars? Do you go to the gym? Family time, etc. This is pure gold.

[DukeMountain]

How much pen to paper time are you spending each day?

[Anonymous User]

AM: No meetings until after lunch today! Starting at 9, keep an eye out on email as I prep for my first meeting. Finish a couple of things that came in earlier this morning and prep for tomorrow’s meetings.

PM: Meeting goes as I anticipated, and I send follow-up emails after it ends to various individuals. Lunch, followed by back-to-back meetings, and once those are over, I catch up on email, connect with my boss who had to miss an earlier meeting, and review one final email that came in towards the end of the day. Get my thoughts down on paper, email about next steps, and log off around 6.

@CiFULA, @legalpotato, @bigboybob, and @DukeMountain -- thanks for the encouragement and feedback. Outside of work, I’m very into cardio, spending time with family, and focusing on life. I tend to be head down during the day (getting pen to paper, attending meetings, etc. take up a good chunk of time each day), so I can get as much done and not need to work evenings unless necessary. I didn’t put in the personal stuff b/c it’ll be some version of “go running, make coffee/breakfast/lunch/dinner, watch Netflix, spend time with the family, run errands, get groceries, go to Costco.” Unless there’s a need to work, I don’t plan on journaling during the weekends for that same reason -- basically, we tend to Netflix and chill, go to the park, go somewhere in the city, try out new restaurants, etc.

In terms of WLB, my employer is pretty great with (very) rare exceptions. For instance, a month or so ago, I took a Friday off, and in the middle of the day, a business colleague left a voicemail on my work phone. An hour later, I get calls from (and speak to) a colleague in Legal and my boss. Then, later in the evening, I get an email from my boss’s boss (who was also on vacation). Then a repeat of all of this that Sunday. To be fair, this was a time sensitive issue, came up kind of all of a sudden, and because of the subject matter at hand, others wanted me to weigh in. All to say, compared to BigLaw, it’s very rare to get interrupted on a vacation, but it does happen on occasion. Where “on occasion” means, in the several years I’ve been here, it was the 2nd time that happened.

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 9, attend back-to-back meetings, and then no more meetings for the day.

PM: Keep an eye out on email the rest of the day, finish things that come in, and call it a day around 4:30. Monitor email on phone for the evening, and an email from outside counsel comes in around 6. I hop back online at 8, respond back to them, and schedule time with my boss next week to discuss further.

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 9 and see there’s nothing urgent. Towards the end of the morning, a request comes in. I’m feeling really unmotivated, and make a note to complete it next week.

PM: Keep an eye out on email after lunch and call it a day around 3. Monitor email on phone during the late afternoon/early evening.

[Anonymous User]

What did you do the rest of the after calling it a day at 3 pm? Just veg out on the couch?

[Duck250]

What did you do the rest of the after calling it a day at 3 pm? Just veg out on the couch?

Also curious what keeping an eye out on email after lunch entails. Just sort of do chores around the house and check every so often on the computer? Anyways, this is a very interesting thread so thanks OP.

[Elston Gunn]

What did you do the rest of the after calling it a day at 3 pm? Just veg out on the couch?

Also curious what keeping an eye out on email after lunch entails. Just sort of do chores around the house and check every so often on the computer? Anyways, this is a very interesting thread so thanks OP.

Not OP, but also in-house in a job that seems to have a similar vibe. Yeah…pretty much, except the email/slack are on the phone so no need to affirmatively check on the computer unless I’m going to do actual work. Generally try to respond to slacks quickly (at least from people I regularly work with, rather than random requests), but there isn’t that BigLaw pressure to immediately respond to emails either.

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email around 9, and then hop on a call with various colleagues in Legal. Once that’s over, send out a follow-up note, monitor email, and prep for an afternoon meeting with my boss.

PM: Lunch followed by the meeting with my boss. I’m going on vacation in a few days, so my countdown starts. Wrap up a few things that have come in. Hop on another call with my boss and a few other colleagues in Legal in the mid afternoon. Call it a day around 5 and monitor email on phone until the early evening.

@anon above -- after logging off, I did cardio, read a few pages in a book I’m trying to finish, vegged on the couch, made dinner, and watched Netflix.

[lawlo]

Thanks for doing this! What are you doing in the time between meetings? From what you've written it seems all you do is go to meetings and respond to emails. Is that true?

[Anonymous User]

Would you mind sharing what market and practice area you're in? And how many years you were in big law before going in-house?

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 9 and see that my morning meeting has gotten canceled. Keep an eye out on email and prep for tomorrow’s meetings.

PM: Lunch, followed by back-to-back meetings, and then send some follow up emails. I’m trying to clear out my inbox as much as possible since I don’t feel really good. Sign off around 3:30 and monitor email the rest of the day/evening.

@lawlo and @anon above -- in between meetings, I’m trying to respond to emails as quickly as they come in, either substantively or looping in someone else from Legal who can provide the substantive answer. It's been a lot of trial and error on my end, but I use my inbox as my to-do list, so I can see what's still outstanding. In BigLaw, I was in a VHCOL market and left as a mid-level associate. I cover a few practice areas, so I'd say a mixture of generalist and specialist work. While BigLaw likes you to specialize in a practice area (so they can charge clients accordingly), companies love in-house lawyers who can do generalist work across a variety of areas.

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 9, finish some things that come in, and read up on a kind-of-new-to-me practice area that I may be helping out with.

PM: Lunch, keep an eye on email, and attend an afternoon meeting with my boss & a few business colleagues. Monitor email, finish things up, continue reading up on the practice area until 7:30, and call it a day. Hear back from a law student that she’s decided to join the former firm I was at.

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 8:30 and have my weekly 1:1 with my boss. No more meetings the rest of the day! Monitor email.

PM: Keep an eye on email and speak with a friend’s friend about moving in-house. There’s a lot of interest lately from BigLaw friends & their friends about moving in-house, and she jokingly tells me to start a business on resume tips, networking with in-house counsel, interviewing in-house, etc. Ha! That’d definitely be interesting to think about. Sign off around 4.

Thank you for reading! It’s been kind of fun to journal every day and will try to do so again later in the month.

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 8:30 and have my weekly 1:1 with my boss. No more meetings the rest of the day! Monitor email.

PM: Keep an eye on email and speak with a friend’s friend about moving in-house. There’s a lot of interest lately from BigLaw friends & their friends about moving in-house, and she jokingly tells me to start a business on resume tips, networking with in-house counsel, interviewing in-house, etc. Ha! That’d definitely be interesting to think about. Sign off around 4.

Thank you for reading! It’s been kind of fun to journal every day and will try to do so again later in the month.

You ever regret going in house? I just accepted an in-house position and am getting some cold feet. Your job sounds great, but do you miss the deal (or litigation) work or not having to worry about being a cost center?

[Anonymous User]

AM: Check email at 8:30 and have my weekly 1:1 with my boss. No more meetings the rest of the day! Monitor email.

PM: Keep an eye on email and speak with a friend’s friend about moving in-house. There’s a lot of interest lately from BigLaw friends & their friends about moving in-house, and she jokingly tells me to start a business on resume tips, networking with in-house counsel, interviewing in-house, etc. Ha! That’d definitely be interesting to think about. Sign off around 4.

Thank you for reading! It’s been kind of fun to journal every day and will try to do so again later in the month.

We can get some sense of it from your journal, but how typical of a day would you say this is? Also, what is total comp/compensation structure?

[Anonymous User]

To both anons above, thanks for your questions.

My day today was fairly atypical in that I only had one meeting. I’m guessing it’s because most folks have already started the long holiday weekend. My days are usually composed of more meetings and the remaining time is devoted to responding to emails/analyzing issues/drafting deliverables.

I went into BigLaw knowing that in-house was the end goal, so no regrets from my end. In terms of missing deal/litigation work, no, there are plenty of opportunities in-house to get involved with both if that’s what you’re interested in. In being a cost center, I’ve found that depends on the culture of your company and your immediate manager. All in all, I really enjoy being in-house and the resulting WLB. I’ve listed my comp before in the salary thread and would prefer to keep that there, so I’ll say that I don’t make the $400k+ salary that my senior associate BigLaw friends make, but I also don’t know how they, along with the friends who’ve become partners in BigLaw, deal with the stress. I was talking to one of them the other day and how he is so burned out but is afraid of turning down work because as a 9th year, hours are hard to come by since his billing rate is so high.