Can You Go Home Again?
Until recently, once a law firm lawyer went in-house, there was virtually no return; but that is no longer the case. Law firm employers have come to realize that in-house attorneys may have credentials, sophistication, practice experience, and demanding work schedules similar to those that private practice require, and often they have valuable business experience and perspectives to bring to the table, as well.
To return to the law firm environment from a stint in-house:
- Work your contacts with former bosses, mentors, and peers. For those who burned their bridges or left their firms in the lurch when running out the door in a big hurry, do not expect a welcome mat at your old firm. Look for new opportunities.
- Sell your in-house skills as being transferable, i.e.: the ability to handle multiple tasks, work faster, and take risks. Furthermore, you now have business judgment, organizational understanding, and industry knowledge in addition to your legal abilities. Offer tangible proof of these new skills.
- Emphasize your newly acquired legal abilities such as the hands-on running of deals, negotiating and documenting agreements, experience with high-tech or intellectual property practice, employment matters, and the like. Show that you are a well-rounded attorney due to the requirements of meeting the varied legal needs of a business enterprise. Possibly offer as references the names of outside or opposing counsel with whom you worked while in-house and who can vouch for the quality and sophistication of your legal work.
- Position yourself as having added perspective—you now know what it is like to be a client, and can more effectively service the firm’s clients’ real needs.
- Promote your increased network of business contacts and potential clients gained during your sojourn into in-house. Continue to keep track of your former business-mates and contacts as they make career moves.
- Be flexible regarding the terms of your return: practice area, department, title, location, compensation, hours, and the like. Try to position yourself to fit the law firm’s current needs.
- Clarify that you did not leave the law firm for “lifestyle reasons”. Emphasize that you worked long hours in the corporate environment and are not afraid of hard work and law firm billable hours requirements.
- Stress a more mature attitude and appreciation for the traditional practice of law. (i.e.: relative security, daily interaction with other attorneys, interesting and sophisticated work for a variety of clients, training, support, etc.)
- Sell your “fit”— If approaching your previous law firm you are proven commodity. You know the players and politics, thrive in its culture, and will need little or no lead time in terms of assimilation. You can save the firm recruiting and training costs.
Negative perceptions to overcome:
- Be aware of the “politics” of the situation. Your old firm may not want to offend or demoralize those who kept their noses to the grindstone while you were off pursuing your in-house dreams.
- There may be a question regarding your commitment to the traditional practice of law in a firm; firms don’t want to hire attorneys who would rather be doing something else.
- There is a stigma that attorneys in the corporate environment, especially in a small or start-up company, received little or no training during their tenure in-house, especially if you were relatively junior when you left the firm.
- If you gave up your book of business to join an in-house legal department, it will be even more difficult to be hired by a law firm that requires healthy portable business for senior lateral hires.
Although a stint in-house does not make it impossible to return to the law firm, it does make it more difficult. Keep these considerations in mind when weighing your career options.
