3 Things that Haven’t Changed for In-House Lawyers over Last 10 Years

In my 10 years of recruiting in-house lawyers, I’ve seen a lot of changes. But what hasn’t changed that you think would have by now?

1. Titles are still pretty consistent. From junior to senior the basic titles are: Associate Counsel (rare), Counsel, Senior Counsel, Assistant General Counsel (rare), Associate General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, General Counsel, and Chief Legal Officer. There’s maybe more use of “Director,” which can equate to a variety of levels, from Counsel to AGC, and I’ve seen the growth of “Head of X”, but the basic titles are still used almost universally.
2. In-office presence. Pre-pandemic, companies usually allowed for maybe one day to work from home a week (or one day a month if it’s a company had a stricter policy). Post pandemic? Companies have not really changed their official policies. They may still, but so far they say they’ll require folks back in the office. Here are some exceptions (including Square, Twitter & Upwork): https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/companies-switching-remote-work-long-term/.
3. Networking is still the most likely way to get a job, despite the rise of recruiting algorithms and offshore recruiting. The WSJ recently reported applicants using LinkedIn are even now three times as likely to get a job at a company where they have a connection.

What has been a change? An emphasis on diversity & inclusion. Companies are now aware of their gender/racial breakdown and eager to make their legal team more diverse. See here for five more changes over the last 10 years.