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February 25, 2008
Corporate/In-House Guest Blogger
Periodically throughout the year the CSO will be posting blog entries from guest bloggers about various topics. Please note that the views expressed by our guest bloggers are the personal opinion of each blogger and are not necessarily the views and opinions of the CSO. The CSO guest blogger entries are intended as an opportunity for attorneys currently practicing in the legal field to share their insight and advice with law students.
Our guest blogger for the month of February is Matt Drain, Esq. (class of 1977). Mr. Drain works as corporate in-house counsel for Newell Recycling in Georgia. In his blog, Mr. Drain discusses the corporate in-house work environment and the importance of being a good "fit."
"In a recent conversation with outside counsel following a business meeting that he attended, he expressed relief that he has many clients and therefore doesn’t have to depend upon a single, and sometimes difficult, client. Though it’s true that corporate counsel faces greater political and social challenges as to the client than a firm attorney, this is also one of the rewards of being in-house. In the best instances, a rewarding personal and professional bond is created from many shared experiences, both large and small. In the worst instances, and I’ve experienced this unhappily, a virtually unrepairable frustration is made between the attorney and the client through a mutuality of discordant expectations and poor communications.
Consequently, it seems to me that the initial interviews and discussions between the in-house job applicant and the management group are critical. Of course, they want a knowledgeable professional as you want a challenging job that uses and enhances your skills. But the degree of intimacy, the daily contact that can include requests for personal legal advice, calls for a certain amount of intuition on the part of the attorney (and the management) as to whether the “fit” is good. It’s no exaggeration to say that you’ll be joining a family environment, no matter the size of the company, and you have to be comfortable with the other family members. If you’re to work closely with the CFO, ask yourself whether he/she is more brittle and argumentative than you feel comfortable abiding. If they are much like your father, for example, and you know you wouldn’t work with your father, then don’t work for this person. Trust your instincts. A firm is more likely to provide the safe harbor of legal acumen and productivity in avoiding or minimizing personal difficulties: not so in the intimate environment of a business.
An earlier writer discussed the pathway to an in-house position and with those remarks I agree entirely. And now that you’ve managed to get an interview with a corporate legal department, prepare yourself to show not only that you know the relevant law and have useful experience but also that you are the type of person with whom these people will enjoy working. If you’re going to all live in the same house, it’s essential that everyone gets along successfully—including you."
Posted by cld30 at February 25, 2008 04:56 PM