Looking to make the move from private practice, into an in-house Legal role?

As the dust settles on another year of restrictions and changes, it has forced many people to sit back and assess where they are in life and in their careers. With more time spent at home and unsure of what was to come, it was only natural to start thinking about what you valued most. 

What we have seen happening across not just the legal industry but across the board is a shift towards a better work-life balance. Companies across Ireland and the globe have begun to look at the possibilities of a 4-day working week and how that might look in the future, we at Mason Alexander have made a big leap towards that with a 4-hour working Friday. 

According to recent Law Society statistics, working as an in-house solicitor is becoming increasingly popular. One in four solicitors now works in-house, with the corporate sector employing the largest proportion of all in-house lawyers.

Below I try to explain some of the reasons why you might want to consider making that move. 

People may look to move out of private practice and into an in-house role, as it provides you with that much better work-life balance. It is not unusual for solicitors in private practice to work late into the night, upwards of fourteen hours a day and often at weekends. This can put a lot of pressure on your life outside of the workplace and can become increasingly difficult to maintain over an extended period of time. 

With more regularity of workflow offered by the in-house legal work environment, leisure time away from the office is easier to arrange and time spent with friends and family is easier to gain compared to those in private practices. 

We have seen a shift in the emphasis put on salary as the number one factor when moving into a new role. Culture and your work-life balance has become imperative to people making the decision on whether to move in-house or stay in private practice. 

This is not to say that companies are not offering competitive salaries for the right candidate when looking for someone to join their legal team. Many companies are willing to match or if not better the salary to ensure they get the right person in this current climate. Companies may balance out the fact that they do not have the same available base salary in their budget so can look to offset that with strong stock options for the business or offer you great benefits in their package. 

It is more than just the work-life balance that has been enticing candidates into the in-house world, the potential variety of your day, week, or month means you do not find yourself feeling like the workload is repetitive. 

You can find yourself in private practice working in isolation and focusing on just one area of law. While some may like specialising, in-house lawyers develop a greater breadth of knowledge and enjoy the variety this brings. Expertise can still come with really being able to get under the skin of the client and the deeper insight this allows. Working for a large, global company brings with it exciting, high-profile, and sophisticated work that is not necessarily accessible to private practice. 

Within private practice, a solicitor’s survival, salary, and career progression rely heavily on the number of billable hours and pressures of the need for business development. This can often add to the stresses that come from working long hours, but it can take away from what you are trained and being paid to do. It can force them into a sales role that you have not signed up for, which does not always sit comfortably and of course, means even more time working. 

This does not exist in-house – you are the client. The internal client is always there, and the company pays your salary for your technical and commercial acumen, not for sales or being on the clock 24/7. 

In recent years companies would mostly consider solicitors who were 5-6 years PQE, and more senior. What we have seen now in the current market is that candidates tend to move in-house much earlier at around 2-3 PQE, and clients will now consider NQ or 1 PQE depending on the firm and experience you have. 

One of the reasons for this may be due to cost-saving or potential budget constraints. Some more junior solicitors are keen to commence in-house at an earlier stage of their career as they would like to gain that exposure and to work in a different environment. Solicitors at 2-5 PQE level are often the best fit to move in-house and the candidates that are in highest demand. This will often depend on if you are coming into an established team or acting as a standalone. 

Solicitors at this level have gained solid training and spent a few years in practice. Often, they do not have the aspiration to become a Partner and feel it would be the right time to make a change and move in-house where they can work side by side with the business to achieve commercial aims and put their legal knowledge into practical use. 

More senior candidates often wish to move in-house to be closer to the decision-making and be more actively involved in the commercial/business side. We are seeing that there are generally fewer senior roles available in the market, and often solicitors at a very senior level find it quite difficult to accept a bigger cut in terms of the salary, this makes moving in-house at a senior end more challenging and will depend on what you are seeking for in your next move. 

There is no set ideal time to move in-house, and it really depends on your personal preference and when you feel ready. Some of the above factors should be taken into consideration when considering this move. 

When you do move in-house there is often more limited guidance, and it is on you to pick things up and learn while doing the job. In-house legal teams can be relatively lean and may have less support than what you’ll find in private practice. What we tend to see is, in-house clients are often looking for someone commercial-minded, adaptable, pragmatic, and with a strong sense of commercial judgement. The key to when you are moving in-house is that you are expected to roll up your sleeves and solve any problems that may arise, expert in it or not. 

If you have been considering a move in-house, I’d love to hear from you to discuss what your next career step might be! We work with some of the most exciting companies looking to add to their legal teams and I’d love to help support you in making that move. 



Please reach out to my email at z.deboe@masonalexander.ie and we can set up a call.