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biglaw vs. in-house?

Hypothetically, if you had the choice to start your career w...
insecure range
  09/05/10
Firm, where they will teach how to do things the right way. ...
Diverse Theatre Boistinker
  09/05/10
You're not thinking long term. The solid company is better a...
Comical Wine Area
  09/05/10
Why would long term be better with the company? Even if it'...
insecure range
  09/05/10
In-house at solid company.
Comical Wine Area
  09/05/10
in-house.
Violet Appetizing Personal Credit Line
  09/05/10
Wow, didn't think that the response would be this one-sided....
insecure range
  09/05/10
my goal is in-house. but having a firm on your resume just d...
Marvelous lemon field queen of the night
  09/05/10
I heard in-house doesn't pay all that much.
Comical Wine Area
  09/05/10
enough
Marvelous lemon field queen of the night
  09/06/10
I would start at ~$100k all-in. I don't know how that compar...
insecure range
  09/14/10
In-house can mean a lot of things. Some of it looks really ...
Floppy Deep Place Of Business
  09/05/10
Some of it's rote contracts, but there's some interesting st...
insecure range
  09/05/10
I don't work in house, so I'm just kind of guessing here bas...
Floppy Deep Place Of Business
  09/06/10
wish i knew more about the concrete details of moving from t...
Marvelous lemon field queen of the night
  09/06/10
The dood said that this is actually what they want me to do....
insecure range
  09/14/10
So many firm folks end up/want to end up in-house that I thi...
Saffron irradiated state
  09/06/10
i thought the problem was that the in-house jobs you could g...
Marvelous lemon field queen of the night
  09/06/10
I am inclined to say they will become the in-house job you w...
Saffron irradiated state
  09/06/10
In house departments are a dying breed. You are a jack of al...
Alcoholic Set
  09/06/10
"In house departments are a dying breed." That ...
Big Unholy Elastic Band Indian Lodge
  09/14/10
tcr. If anything, they are thriving and law firms are not.
motley death wish
  09/14/10
in house hours are sweet, the pay and exit options are not.
motley death wish
  09/14/10
what would exit options or career advancement look like? Or ...
insecure range
  09/14/10


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Date: September 5th, 2010 6:45 AM
Author: insecure range

Hypothetically, if you had the choice to start your career with a run-of-the-mill vault firm (not meant to be a slight) or in-house at a solid company (told it would start at ~$100k all in)?



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15968801)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 9:04 AM
Author: Diverse Theatre Boistinker

Firm, where they will teach how to do things the right way. Move in-house once you know WTH you are doing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15968827)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 9:07 AM
Author: Comical Wine Area

You're not thinking long term. The solid company is better across the board.

Had the option been top notch Vault firm v. in-house at solid company, my answer would be different. However, he said run-of-the-mill (Kaye Scholer, Kilpatrick Stocton, Dickstein Shapiro, etc)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15968828)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 3:40 PM
Author: insecure range

Why would long term be better with the company?

Even if it's just a run of the mill firm, would not having that firm experience open more doors?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15970869)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 7:56 AM
Author: Comical Wine Area

In-house at solid company.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15968806)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 9:09 AM
Author: Violet Appetizing Personal Credit Line

in-house.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15968829)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 2:08 PM
Author: insecure range

Wow, didn't think that the response would be this one-sided.

So, other than the strict 9-to-5 and other associated quality of life issues, what would be the benefits of in-house?

Or is the QOL really worth the 60k/year difference?

And is the "learning how to do things right at a firm" really not worth doing? What about the value of just having it on a resume for future options?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15970202)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 2:39 PM
Author: Marvelous lemon field queen of the night

my goal is in-house. but having a firm on your resume just does so much for you that i'd have to do a year or two there first.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15970379)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 2:40 PM
Author: Comical Wine Area

I heard in-house doesn't pay all that much.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15970387)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:20 AM
Author: Marvelous lemon field queen of the night

enough

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976858)



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Date: September 14th, 2010 2:44 AM
Author: insecure range

I would start at ~$100k all-in. I don't know how that compares with other "entry level in-house" or how the raises will kick in, though. But given a strict 9-to-5 schedule, it might be ok--only if it weren't in such an expensive city.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#16041744)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 2:48 PM
Author: Floppy Deep Place Of Business

In-house can mean a lot of things. Some of it looks really boring--just doing the firm's rote contracts. No possibility of advancement there. Some of it is really different. So you'd really have to give more specifics.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15970435)



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Date: September 5th, 2010 3:35 PM
Author: insecure range

Some of it's rote contracts, but there's some interesting stuff. The company's industry is a heavily regulated one, so there's a lot of that going on, too.

What would the career path of someone who starts off in-house look like, though? What does this "advancement" entail?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15970814)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:08 AM
Author: Floppy Deep Place Of Business

I don't work in house, so I'm just kind of guessing here based on the people I've met and the resumes I've seen. But it looks like some in-house people do gradually advance, becoming the GC of a subsidiary, then the GC of a division, then the GC of a company. On the other hand, there probably are a large number of in-house people who basically just stay in the same kind of rote contracts job their whole life. Wish I could tell you more, but this is basically all I can figure out from where I stand.

Edit: Should add that another way to move up would be to move into the business side of things. Not sure how possible this is--I tend to not meet or see these people, since they're not on the legal side anymore. But you do read about businessmen who used to be lawyers, so I guess they either move up through the in-house side or they go directly from being a lawyer to being a business guy.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976851)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:22 AM
Author: Marvelous lemon field queen of the night

wish i knew more about the concrete details of moving from the in-house dept to the business side

obviously you have the huge advantage of getting to know people and hearing about new openings before anyone else does.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976860)



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Date: September 14th, 2010 2:43 AM
Author: insecure range

The dood said that this is actually what they want me to do. Whether I come back to the legal side of things or stay in the business side, they want me to spend some time in other departments.

Not sure if this is a boon or a curse. I am more interested in the other side, but do value some semblance of security and stability.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#16041741)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:16 AM
Author: Saffron irradiated state

So many firm folks end up/want to end up in-house that I think if that is your ultimate goal, you might as well just start in-house.

I think doing 3-4 years at a big firm and then getting to go inhouse as a more senior person than the guy who did 3-4 years in-house right out of law school is pretty rare. Heard it used to be the case in the olden days.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976855)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:23 AM
Author: Marvelous lemon field queen of the night

i thought the problem was that the in-house jobs you could get right out of ls aren't the in-house jobs you want (but will they become the in-house jobs you want?)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976861)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:31 AM
Author: Saffron irradiated state

I am inclined to say they will become the in-house job you want as you get more senior or you will be end up being more competitive for the in-house job you want somewhere else either in the same organization or a different one.



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976872)



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Date: September 6th, 2010 9:30 AM
Author: Alcoholic Set

In house departments are a dying breed. You are a jack of all trades, master of none shithead. With 2nd tier $80K BIGLAW associates and Wheeling, WV Midlaw there is no reason to have your bloated ass on payroll.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#15976870)



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Date: September 14th, 2010 3:09 AM
Author: Big Unholy Elastic Band Indian Lodge

"In house departments are a dying breed."

That is exactly wrong.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#16041846)



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Date: September 14th, 2010 3:10 AM
Author: motley death wish

tcr. If anything, they are thriving and law firms are not.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#16041851)



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Date: September 14th, 2010 2:50 AM
Author: motley death wish

in house hours are sweet, the pay and exit options are not.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#16041767)



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Date: September 14th, 2010 10:03 AM
Author: insecure range

what would exit options or career advancement look like? Or will I be stuck making 150k doing the same shit every day for the rest of my life?

And what happens if I do go over to the business side?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1414879&forum_id=2#16042150)