| In This IssueNJWLA Leaders Among Top Lawyers In NJ
Feature Article: Making the Transition to an In-House Position 6th Annual Gala Achieves Record-Breaking Attendance NJWLA Congratulates Honorable Patty Shwartz Member SpotlightThe Leaders of the NJWLA are Among the Top Lawyers in New Jersey Lynne A. Anderson The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, New Jersey Super Lawyers, Top 50 Women Lawyers Nicole D. Bearce Committee Director, Best Practices Chambers USA, Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, New Jersey Super Lawyers Lynda A. Bennett Committee Director, Endorsements The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, New Jersey Super Lawyers, Top 50 Women Lawyers & Top 100 Lawyers Heather R. Boshak, Committee Director, Judicial Outreach New Jersey Super Lawyers Suzanne Cerra President Elect Chambers USA, New Jersey Commission on Professionalism Award, New Jersey Super Lawyers, Top 50 Women Lawyers & Top 100 Lawyers Michellene Davis Trustee At Large Top 50 People in Healthcare in NJ by NJBIZ, Executive Women of New Jersey, Salute to Policymakers Award, Stand and Deliver Dr. MLK Jr., Leadership Award, New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP Distinguished Legal Professional Award, National Council of 100 Black Women Trailblazer Award for Public Advocacy, Essex County Coretta Scott King Leadership Award Carmen Garcia Chief Diversity Officer Gubernatorial Appointment to the Council on Interstate Juvenile Supervision, New Jersey Women’s Hall of Fame, ALIANZA (Latin American Law Students Alliance at Rutgers Camden), Carmen M. Garcia Bright Futures Scholarship Theresa Donahue Egler Committee Director, Corporate Relations The Best Lawyers in America Kathleen Barnett Einhorn Committee Director, Programming NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business Michele Haas Committee Director, Best Practices New Jersey Super Lawyers Linda Harvey Secretary The Best Lawyers in America, New Jersey Super Lawyers, New York’s Women Leaders in the Law Galit Kierkut President The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, New Jersey Super Lawyers, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, Kirsten Scheurer Branigan Presidential Leadership Award Loryn Lawson Committee Director, Membership New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Wendy Johnson Lario Immediate Past President The Best Lawyers in America, Executive Women of New Jersey Salute to the Policymakers Award, NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business, New Jersey Super Lawyers, Chambers USA, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association Randi Kochman Vice President New Jersey Super Lawyers Susan O’Connor General Counsel Legal 100 Award, New Jersey Super Lawyers, Litigation Counsel of America Loren Pierce Committee Director, Corporate Relations The Best Lawyers in America, New Jersey Super Lawyers Stefani C. Schwartz Committee Director, Judicial Outreach NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business, New Jersey Super Lawyers Annmarie Simeone Committee Director, WILL Platinum Gala Somerset County Commission on Women, Outstanding Woman in the Law Award Kristin Sostowski Trustee At Large New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Have you recently ….. Won a summary judgment motion? Closed a big deal? Tried your first case? Started a new job? Had a baby? Earned a promotion? Returned to the workforce? Celebrated 10, 20, 25, etc. years as a lawyer? Been named a Rising Star or SuperLawyer in your field? Whatever your good news is, we want you to share your success! Please email njwlacomm@gmail.com Members on the Movehas been elected to the Jessica Allen is now at the Office of the Attorney General Laurie Poulos recently started a position at New York Life Insurance Company Karen Wachs recently joined Osato Chitou recently became the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Carepoint Health Plans. Tell us about your new position! Please email njwlacomm@gmail.com |
June 28, 2013
Featured ArticleMaking the Transition to an In-House PositionBy Melissa A. Peters As a legal recruiter, I focus exclusively on the permanent placement of attorneys in both law firm and in-house settings. In short, I speak to lawyers at varying levels every day all day! During those conversations, I often hear lawyers express their desire to “go in-house”. The in-house market is extremely competitive and female lawyers need a competitive advantage, so how do you go about actually securing the right in-house position? 1. Keep yourself informed about the market. The right job at the right company that fits your background, experience, and interest is hard to find and can take ample time. Therefore, start listening to options now! I do not suggest mass-mailing your resume to a bunch of companies and recruiters; but rather, read about the marketplace of interest to you, and talk with recruiters that are well-connected to that in-house world. Visit www.goinhouse.com regularly to get an idea about the types of opportunities that are publicly advertised. There is nothing wrong with “seeing” what is out there – the decision whether to actually explore an opportunity is a decision you can make later on, after you have a sense of the marketplace. 2. Determine your industry of interest and target it. The importance of determining your own interest level in a specific business/industry cannot be overstated. If you are a litigator, but have zero interest in the energy sector, then applying to that job at a well-known energy company may not be the best use of your time. I understand that you want to “go in-house” but it has to be somewhat targeted and connected to your interest and experience. This point really comes to light in interviews. Frequently, an Associate General Counsel or the General Counsel himself/herself will ask you why you want to join his/her company. When you answer too generically with “My goal has always been to go in-house” or “I really see myself contributing to a company”, it does not effectively convey that you are the best candidate for the position. If you truly have an interest or experience with the industry, it is more effective, and ultimately can lead to a better fit for you! So if you are just starting to think about going to a company, take some time to determine the industry that excites you – the one that you can authentically envision yourself working in for the next several years. 3. Seek out opportunities for experience with that industry of interest. Once you have determined the industry that interests you, make sure you currently have or seek to gain relevant experience. If you are a corporate lawyer looking to go in-house, you will likely need to gain some experience with securities regulation, so seek out projects that will expose you to the Securities Exchange Acts of 1933 and 1934. If you are a litigator looking for an in-house position, you will likely need some management experience, including managing junior attorneys and paralegals and/or managing large-scale litigation. Try to seek out projects that will give you some exposure to those skills so that you can position yourself for the transition. Make sure that you represent that industry experience on your resume. If the in-house position you want involves “corporate governance experience”, be sure to highlight that experience clearly on your resume. Make it an easily visible bullet point or section on your resume with the phrase “corporate governance” in it, and then expand upon it, explaining all of your experience within that realm. Do not make the company and/or the recruiter search for that experience on your resume – make it clearly stated, concisely described with examples, and using the industry jargon. 4. Maintain realistic expectations about salary. Do not let the proffered salary range of an in-house position dictate your interest at the preliminary stages of exploring an opportunity. The way law firms compensate you is often very different than the compensation packages offered at companies. If, for example, you are a partner at a large law firm right now, you might be earning a significant base salary plus bonus (which is usually somehow tied to your originations). At a company, you might be looking at a base salary that is lower than your current base salary; however, the target bonus can be significant. Overall, the compensation package at a company may equal or exceed your current income, but you have to consider the total compensation package. Try not to make a quick decision just by comparing current law firm base salary to prospective company base salary. Also, remember that stock options may be part of the package immediately or down the line. 5. Do not be misled by the title of the in-house position. Recently, I had a conversation with a well-established law firm partner at a national firm, and he expressed his desire to “go in-house”. He told me that he had interviewed for an in-house position awhile ago, but the title was too “junior” for his level, so he decided against it. He knew himself well enough to know that taking that position would feel like a step down in his career. That is a salient point to consider – is title a big issue for you? Consider that and know your feelings about title, but also understand that in-house titles can vary widely from organization to organization. One company may have a “Corporate Counsel” opening that is a fairly “junior” position, whereas another company may have that position report directly to the General Counsel. A lot of that depends on the size of the organization and more importantly, the size of the legal team within the organization. Find out as much as you can about the organizational hierarchy of the legal team and company to help educate your interest in the position. 6. Determine if the in-house opportunity aligns with your motivation to go in-house. More and more female lawyers are looking at in-house opportunities – the chance to put their legal skills to use in a business setting. Some women lawyers are motivated to go in-house because they truly see themselves as leaders of business. Others are understandably motivated by the idea that the in-house setting will provide them with more predictability/flexibility in their schedules. Regardless of your motivation, be honest with yourself! There is no shame in admitting that you want more predictable hours; but then you have to make sure that the in-house opportunity you are pursuing will offer that. For example, I recently placed a female lawyer in-house at a large, public company where the hours are clearly 9am-5pm; she took a large paycut from her job at a well-known Manhattan law firm for that reduction in hours. The company was clear about the schedule and she was honest with herself about her motivation which, in turn, enabled her to land that position and accept the paycut. On the other hand, I was recently talking with a high-level female in-house counsel at a well-known New Jersey company and she aptly stated that joining her company “is NOT a lifestyle change”. Do not make the erroneous assumption that in-house equals fewer hours! It completely depends upon the company, the industry, the level of the position, and the people with whom you are working. Do your research and ask tough, smart questions in an interview so that you can ascertain the type of work environment it provides. More than anything, be true to yourself about your motivation and do not apologize for wanting “fewer” or more “regular” hours – just understand that you may take a paycut for that, and that you will need to be very discerning when looking at in-house opportunities 7.Decide about relocation. Take stock of your current situation and decide whether you are willing to relocate for the right in-house position. That is a question that I always ask my candidates who are interested in transitioning to a company – are you willing to relocate? If so, how far are you willing to relocate? If the company does not provide relocation assistance, are you willing to cover the cost on your own? It is never too soon to start thinking about those answers, so that you can really make your in-house search targeted and realistic. 8. Manage your own frustration level! Understand that making the transition to the right in-house opportunity may take time and patience; more than you might think! Of course, there are always anecdotal examples of your co-worker who was directly poached by his/her client, and landed a great in-house job in record time. That is most certainly the exception, not the rule, so set realistic expectations about this transition. Typically, the frustration that lawyers feel about trying to make this transition is not that they are going on various interviews and not getting the job, but rather that there are not ample opportunities that fit their skill sets. Waiting for the right opportunity to come to you will only add to your frustration, whereas taking an active and targeted approach will increase your chance of success. Making the transition from a law firm to a company can be a lengthy and time-consuming process. That is why being proactive about your transition, determining your industry of interest, and partnering with a knowledgeable recruiter will all help you to ultimately identify and attain the right in-house position. Melissa A. Peters, Esq. is Managing Director at Princeton Legal Search Group. She focuses exclusively on the permanent placement of lawyers in law firm and in-house settings. She can be reached at 609.734.7490 and mpeters@princetonlegal.com NJWLA 6th Annual WILL Platinum Gala Achieves Record-Breaking Attendance NJWLA Congratulates the
|
Upcoming EventsNJWLA & ECBF Present
Annual Fore Ladies Only!
|
| New Jersey Women Lawyers Association | 973-819-9488 | cskinner@njwla.org | http://www.njwla.org633 Franklin AvenuePMB #118
Nutley, NJ 07110 |
||
