The lateral job market between law firms and corporate in-house legal departments is a tale of two cities. What law firms are finding attractive in a potential candidate can sometimes be quite the opposite from what corporate legal departments are seeking. One of the best examples is experience. While attorneys with three to five years of experience are considered “hot” commodities by law firms, the great majority of corporate legal departments give them the cold shoulder.   more >>

If you are in private practice, either as an associate or a partner at a law firm, you’ve probably wondered at one time or another what it might be like to go in-house. You may have envisioned a world without billable requirements, business development, free weekends, and possibly less stress. Perhaps you are intrigued by the prospect of working with a single client, knowing where the work will come next, and have an interest in being viewed more a business partner, and less as a fire extinguisher. The grass being “greener” on the other side is not necessarily a reality. In fact, the reality often looks quite different. But when it comes to going in-house, law firm attorney seem convinced that this is a better way to practice law, and whether that’s true for most, the in-house call remains irresistible.  more >>

While the general trend by most companies is not to hire, when outside counsel bills are stacking up, and executives get too bogged down with the process of drafting sales contract, the time might be right to hire the company's first in-house general counsel.   more >>

In the last two decades, in-house counsels have evolved from acting as legal administrators to acting as both legal counsel and strategic business partners. As a result, the number of lawyers pursuing dual degrees or business degrees after earning their J.D.’s has increased. However, many wonder how to use that degree to open doors that were closed, or how to use it to gain access to positions that seemed out of reach. While earning an M.B.A. is a great accomplishment, the degree alone will not cure all of your professional concerns. Here are some basic steps that will help you leverage your M.B.A. degree.  more >>

While we may be experiencing a sizzling hot summer this year, the same can’t be said about the job market. What’s it like out there? Clearly, we are not out of the woods, and may even be scaling back. With the headline unemployment rate ticking back up to 9.1 percent in May, the sense of alarm over the state of the economy is once again growing. And it's not helped by a slew of recent reports on everything from the continued high rate of foreclosures to the precarious position of the Greek debt crisis. Things are still incredibly tough in the job market with layoffs outnumber hiring announcements by a sizeable margin.  more >>

Established in 2009 with a legal staff of 22, Eastern China Airlines’ in-house legal department was awarded “Chinese Company In-house Team of the Year” at the 2010 ALB China Law Awards.  This is quite an accomplishment for such a new legal department, especially considering the turbulent global aviation market.  more >>