10 Things You Need to Know About Becoming an In-House Lawyer

10 Things You Need to Know About Becoming an In-House Lawyer

An in-house lawyer's role is to support a business in making sound and informed decisions that minimise its risk exposure while maximising profits. Before accepting such a role, there are ten things you must know.

1. You will be expected to know everything.

Colleagues will expect to ask any legal question and receive a reasoned and precise answer. Prioritise understanding the business' role, mission, priorities and challenges to develop your knowledge and to reinforce your ability to provide a meaningful and rapid response.

2. Immerse yourself in the business culture.

To truly represent the business, you need to become a part of it. You must understand the company's products, projects, services and goals, and how they differ from the competition. You should investigate pertinent areas of law and understand emerging legal issues. Educate yourself on the business' growth plans to pre-empt any legal issues that may arise.

3. Be flexible and patient.

Business needs and priorities will regularly shift so providing high-quality advice fast is essential but you will need to accept that it may sometimes be overtaken by events. Communicate regularly to stay abreast of changes and move your focus as priorities change to avoid wasting time on unnecessary work.

4. Add value outside of your immediate role.

Think outside of your role and be proactive. Highlight inefficient processes, and if you have the capacity to support a project that is not strictly within your legal remit, do so. It will garner goodwill and increase your standing and reputation within the firm.

5. Build and maintain good working relationships.

Some colleagues may view you as a blocker to delivery. You will need to build a strong working relationship built on the provision of solutions rather than barriers in order to be embraced by the business and to help it achieve its aims and objectives.?

6. Manage expectations.

You will need to manage colleagues' expectations, clearly define the boundaries of your responsibilities and help them to work towards an appropriate solution which delivers on their objectives without compromising legal requirements and responsibilities.?

7. Overcome the disadvantages of AI technology.

Generative AI tools can craft blogs, articles, emails and other written documentation. However, even the most powerful AI technology can 'hallucinate' and provide incorrect information, so to maintain ethics, legal compliance and accuracy, carefully review any content that is produced by the business using these tools prior to its release.

8. Prioritise effectively.

When the business is approaching key milestones, you will have many different departments vying for your time and sign-off. You will need to prioritise these requests to ensure that they are all handled effectively and in a timely manner. You may need to delegate non-legal work to focus on activities that represent the greatest risk to the business.?

9. You will need to adapt to different styles of communication.

You may be asked for legal input in a more informal manner than you are used to, so make sure that your responses are clear and concise. Avoid legal jargon and, where necessary, link to appropriate case law to support your response.?

10. Maintain your professional legal standing.

As much as your input will support the business in achieving its objectives, the legal department will be blamed for any shortfalls, so whilst you must immerse yourself in the business, be available, flexible and supportive, you must also protect your professional standing and ensure that the business remains legally compliant at all times, even if this means that you are not as popular as you would wish.

In conclusion, being an in-house lawyer has many advantages, but it is a challenging and multifaceted role. To reap the benefits, you will need to embrace the culture and needs of the business, add value and be seen as a team player.

Are you looking for your next in-house position? Speak to interlink: [email protected]