Career Management, Career Tips, GC, Inhouse

5 Ways to Get that Top GC Job!

  • On April 21, 2019
The Recorder sat down with top Bay Area GCs to find out how they landed that #1 job. A distillation below: Impress your clients. Airbus Silicon Valley Robert Keele got the job after serving as outside counsel. (In my opinion, joining a client is the easiest way to go in-house. You know the company, and […]
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Career Management, Inhouse, Job Search

5 Ways to Position Yourself to Rise In-House

  • On March 5, 2017
Because senior in-house roles are so scarce, you need to give your career serious thought to climb the ranks. Here are 5 ways to position yourself: Target industries/companies needing your skill set. Cultivate relationships so you learn when jobs open up because many senior ones are not posted. Fill any holes in your resume required […]
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Career Management, Inhouse

The 3 Most Common Ways Senior Roles Open Up In-House

  • On February 26, 2017
Bright in-house attorneys often feel stuck because the in-house org chart is so flat — the first corporate counsel level vastly outnumbers the Director, AGC, DGC and GC levels. How do you move up in this flat environment? Know that senior openings come about in 3 scenarios: Dynamic companies grow so quickly that they lack […]
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Career Management, Client, Inhouse

Top 5 Client Management Skills

  • On January 16, 2017
I speak to many senior partners and in-house executives, who successfully manage their clients. They consistently: Research clients, both current and prospective. Even before their first meeting, lawyers have researched their clients’ goals, business, and hot buttons so they are ready to give tailored advice. Build relationships with clients. It takes time for lawyers to […]
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Career Management, Client, Inhouse

3 Ways to Accelerate Your Career!

  • On December 11, 2016
I recently spoke to two in-house lawyers who have successfully accelerated their careers. Their top 3 tips: Befriend your clients. Clients will then approach you early and often. From these conversations, you can get the big picture about the business goals, product roadmaps, risk tolerance, etc. than if you kept partners at arms’ length (even if you […]
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Inhouse

How to Go In-House without Being In-House Already (the Chicken and Egg Problem

  • On July 25, 2016
When companies want to hire in-house counsel, they usually want attorneys with prior in-house experience. So how do you go in-house without first being in-house? Here are 4 ways. Do a secondment through your firm. Employers presume that by sitting with a client, you have learned how to advise business people effectively. That way when you go in-house, […]
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Career Management, GC, Inhouse

Path to GC

  • On February 28, 2016
If your goal is to be a general counsel, make sure you:  Get experience with SEC and M&A work. Not all but most GCs come from a corporate/securities background. If you don’t have one, make sure you get relevant corporate work. Public companies contend with filings, and private ones need to think about exit strategies. Get […]
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Career Management, GC, Inhouse

How Do You Get the Top Legal Job?

  • On July 26, 2015
I listened to four GCs recently share their best tips on how they got to the top:  Evaluate where you want to go, and work backwards. Brian Cabrera of NVIDIA says to ask yourself what skills are you missing for that top job, and then go get them. Always take on new opportunities, even if […]
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