-: I graduated from the law school in 2013.
And my focus wasn't necessarily on being in-house
because there's not often in-house jobs
right out of a law school.
They do want people who have had
background in law firms.
Some types of practical skill set.
So I always encourage the students
I talked to to really think about
what are the practical skills you can gain.
If your goal is to go in-house,
being vocal about that.
So if you're in a big firm,
often big firms, the clients are looking
for people to come in-house so you can get poached.
(laughing) So if you're doing good work.
So at the very, the bare minimum,
you must be doing good work. Right?
It's really about networking.
It's about being in the circles
where there are other in-house counsel.
I joined several industry groups where
I've been mentored by in-house counsel
long before I went in-house.
And so they really gave me an idea
of what the work was like.
And I able to kind of see if I wanted
to do that kind of work.
'Cause it's very different than being outside counsel.
So academically, it's really jur J.D.
and some years of experience.
But it really at Penn State,
I spoke earlier this week to their in-house
modern in-house counsel class.
That's unheard of at most law schools,
to have a class that's focused on concerns about
in-house counsel, or how to become in-house counsel.
And it's taught by a former general counsel.
So the access to those insider tips I think is
instrumental in having a successful career in-house.
And so often if you hear in an interview,
you say, "who wouldja wanna be working late night with?"
Right? So it's literally the relationship.
A lot of people are lawyers.
A lot of people have the same, you know,
similar backgrounds or similar experience,
years of experience type of law.
But it's really about those personal connections
with the people you're interviewing with
and potentially the people you'll be partnering
and working with.
And how can you leverage those relationships
to be the best business partner?