In a novel twist on traditional law firm staffing, Mayer Brown and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati are embedding seasoned in-house counsel within their firms for temporary residencies, offering clients deeper business insight and giving lawyers an opportunity to diversify their experience. Inspired by entrepreneur-in-residence models common in venture capital, the general counsel-in-residence programs are designed to bridge the gap between law firm advice and corporate reality.

“The program allows us to provide our clients with more practical, insider perspectives on the challenges and opportunities they face,” said Nina Flax, a partner in Mayer Brown’s Northern California office who launched the initiative in 2023. Wilson Sonsini adopted a similar model in February 2025, joining Mayer Brown in offering six- to 12-month residencies to veteran in-house lawyers, according to Bloomberg Law.

Flax and Mayer Brown partner Raj De say the program was modeled after residencies at VC firms like D.E. Shaw and the Heritage Group, where embedded experts offer strategic guidance and innovation support. “Lots of people recognize what Nina and I did and are heading in that same direction,” De added.

Wilson Sonsini has already hosted three resident counsel, including Kiki Haar, who began her career at the firm before moving in-house at multiple tech companies. “It’s an opportunity to enhance my own business perspective and professional objectives,” she said. Michele Lee, formerly in-house at Twitter and Pinterest, also joined the program, calling it “a fire hose of information” that sharpens her skills across a diverse client base. “Instead of just thinking about one client, I’m getting to know other clients often very quickly,” she said.

Marc Berger, a former senior executive in the digital health space, proactively reached out to Wilson Sonsini to participate in the program. “Having sat in the chair that some of Wilson’s clients are sitting in, I can empathize with the decision-making challenges they face,” he said. “I can build off those precedents.”

Irene Liu, a board member at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law and Business, highlighted the dual benefits. “Law firms gain insider knowledge of how an in-house department and a corporation works,” she said. “And the general counsel benefits by aligning themselves with a prestigious law firm while gaining exposure to new experiences and challenges that enhance their future career prospects.”