Is Going In-House the Worst Decision Ever?

Recruiter Harrison Barnes says yes. Here are his reasons:

a.            Your skills will deteriorate rapidly and significantly. The most important work will be sent to law firms and not done by you. b.    You will become a "cost center" and not a profit-generator (in most instances) and will be one of the first to go when the company experiences problems – and all companies do. c.    You will no longer be employable by almost any law firm whatsoever when you lose your job – and you most likely will lose your job inside of a company. d.    Most companies want to hire younger attorneys (often from law firms) with "fresher" skills than an in-house attorney coming from another company. e.    Without clients of your own, you will have zero control over your career. f.     When the company experiences some significant legal problems – and most companies do – you and others in the legal department who "touched" the matter will all likely lose your jobs. g.   Most attorneys inside of companies are the "resident buzz kills" who spend their days covering their asses by telling management (i.e., people actually doing things) what is not possible. They become impediments to getting things done and are often not liked too much by people inside of the companies either (i.e., they become more isolated and lonely inside of companies than they were inside of law firms).

On the other hand, almost every in-house attorney I know is happy with the job. To read Barnes’ full article, please click here.

(ljs)