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i think the prime target for inhouse jobs is around 2-4 years. abovethelaw.com did an article about this a while back that said after 4 years your markitability decreases to inhouse positions. Either way, a spot at a vault 100 firm should get you an inhouse position at a fortune 250 company without much of a problem.
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<p>These statements are absolutely incorrect. First, the prime market for in house counsel jobs varies immensely, since there are sometimes positions available for someone with less experience (3-5 years) and much more often positions open for someone with more experience (5 years +). Second, one's marketability does not decrease for in house counsel positions after 4 years. Instead, it increases in the vast majority of cases. More important to one's marketability for in house counsel positions; however, is the breadth and type of experience that one has when applying versus the needs of that particular company. Finally, it is just not that easy to get an in house counsel position. The market for these jobs is incredibly competitive, and while it is a huge plus to have significant substantive experience at a top law firm before applying, most likely your result will be one of hundreds that are submitted for each position. </p>
<p>For whatever reason, "going in house" is still seen as the ticket to a better life as a lawyer. I just want to clarify to the OP that even after gaining law firm experience that lends itself to landing an in house position, and even after making it through the thicket of resumes and interviews to land that in house job, things may be better than law firm life but it is certainly no utopia in many cases. First, when moving in house from a law firm job, there is often a significant pay cut involved. Yes, your benefits will generally get better (stock options, pension plan, 401k matching) but your base salary and bonus will most likely decrease, particularly in light of the recent pay raises for associates. Second, companies are running lean these days, meaning that there is little desire to hire lawyers who make more money than middle managers, which leads to few people doing a lot of work. Hmmm . . . what does that often mean? Longer hours perhaps? In addition, as law firms increase their fees to pay for associate pay increases (among other things), many companies are decreasing their use of outside counsel, which leads to those same few in house attorneys doing more work. That often also means longer hours. </p>
<p>In my experience, working in house generally (at least at a senior level) often means that while you may be able to save your weekends, your hours during the week will still be unpredictable (though only occasionally necessitating very late nights of work).</p>