Community Perspectives: How did you find your current in-house position?

Our in-house professional community discuss their sources for finding in-house positions.

For this of you who recently transitioned from a firm to in-house work, how and where did you find your in-house position? Recruiters? Clients? Indeed/LinkedIn? Word of mouth? I’m a mid-level employment associate and I'm starting to explore going in-house, but am not sure where or how to begin the search. Thanks in advance for any tips and advice!

The list from A5 will get you the bulk of all new job postings. Make sure to work your network; especially because job submissions these days often go into the Workday/Recruiting software blackhole, so you will want to get the name of the hiring manager/internal recruiter. Ultimately, the best way to get an in-house position is with an existing client. That’s what I did. Since I already new the business (and some of the legal team), making the transition from private practice to in-house was much easier.
A recruiter found me on LinkedIn.

In-house Counsel Responses:

Definitely apply immediately! Jobs will disappear sometimes within a few days. I struggled with this while also working my firm job, because I was so miserable I didn’t do anything quickly. It was only when I started quickly applying that I started getting interviews.
The position I ultimately accepted originated from a LinkedIn job posting.
I used LinkedIn, and also saw the position on goinhouse.com
Oddly enough I applied for a regulatory position, because they did not have in-house counsel at my current company. They began to gradually give me all legal work when they realized how much I could do, and how much they could save, so I guess I created the position for myself.
I found mine through networking, but goinhouse.com is also a great resource.

Attorney and Associate Responses:

I found mine through a combined search from LinkedIn job postings; company websites (not all positions are posted elsewhere); indeed.com; goinhouse.com; attorneyjobsinusa.com. I would mine all of the above for job postings. Make sure to spot jobs early and apply immediately!
Word of mouth and LinkedIn. A mentor partner of mine who left my firm knew I was looking to get out of my position, so he he recommended me to a new client of his looking for in-house assistance. I knew about the position before it popped up on LinkedIn, which is how I ultimately applied, but I’m sure the personal referral gave me a big advantage in getting the job.
A person who I used to work with at a firm went in-house a couple of years ago and referred me.
My company found me on LinkedIn.
I found mine through networking at a conference.
I used LinkedIn, but also applied through the company website.
I saw a posting for a job at a client's company, and reached out to my client contact directly to express my interest.
Goinhouse.com.

In-house? Join the conversation on Fishbowl (anonymous).

Legal.io Welcomes Tom Stephenson as VP, Community & Legal Operations

Legal.io has added former Credit Karma legal operations director Tom Stephenson to its executive team as VP, Community & Legal Operations, as reported by Law360.

Career

May 08, 2023

Legal.io Newsletter - May 6, 2022

Published weekly on Friday, the Legal.io Newsletter covers the latest in legal, talent & tech.

Legal Operations Technology

May 06, 2022

Technology

California Passes AI Watermarking, Public Safety Risk Bills

California has passed two comprehensive bills providing AI content watermarking requirements and safety checks to prevent AI-triggered catastrophic events. Both bills were sent to Gov. Newsom for approval.

Technology

Sep 03, 2024