What is the difference between in-house counsel and outside counsel?

The main difference between in-house counsel and outside legal counsel is that the in-house counsel is an employee of the company. However, it is also the job of the in-house counsel to manage outsourced matters and work with law firms retained by the company to resolve the outsourced matters.

What is it like being in-house counsel?

IN-HOUSE counsel are hired by a corporation’s law department to handle a range of legal issues affecting the company, among them employment, policy, tax and regulatory matters. More prevalently, they play a managerial role, overseeing work that’s been outsourced to attorneys at independent firms.

Is it hard to get an in-house counsel job?

In-house counsel jobs are more rare than their law firm counterparts, but they are not impossible to find. Check out some recent featured in-house counsel jobs, or if you are more senior, a list of general counsel jobs.

What’s the difference between council and counsel?

While counsel, council, and consul sound alike, they are different words with different meanings. Counsel can be used as a verb or a noun, whereas council and consul are nouns. Less commonly, counsel means guarded thoughts or advice.

Why do companies use outside counsel?

Outside counsel can be a great source of differentiated issue spotters with deep knowledge related to each of those company issues, providing a constant source of collaboration and consistent outside influence. Outside counsel can often aid in complex issues such as commercial, regulatory or securities related matters.

What makes a good general counsel?

An effective general counsel is creative in identifying proactive solutions to eliminate or mitigate risks and advance the business. A non-strategic lawyer will make decisions too early or too late in the process and miss potential solutions. A general counsel must also be a leader and a visionary.

What do in-house counsel read?

Ten Things: Ten Things In-House Lawyers Should Read Every Day

• The Wall Street Journal. This is America’s business newspaper.
• The New York Times. One of the finest global newspapers in the world.
• Industry Specific Publications.
• Law.com.
• Corporate Counsel.
• Lexology.com.
• ACC Docket.
• GoInHouse.com.

What is a silk in Australia?

A limited number of senior barristers receive ‘silk’ – becoming Queen’s Counsel or Senior Counsel – as a mark of outstanding ability. Senior counsel are also colloquially known as “silks.” This is because their robes include a gown made of silk – junior counsel wear gowns made of cotton.

Is in house counsel less stressful?

Overall, an in house legal job can be less stressful than working in a firm. Just because you are in house, doesn’t mean there is no stress. But what it means is that you’re working in a different environment than the law firm. The overbearing partners and the competitive associates aren’t present.

How many hours does in house counsel work?

PAR heard from a number of in-house attorneys about law departments in which a nominal full-time schedule is 45–50 hours per week, but where attorneys work far more hours. These additional hours may be spent in the office, or may be hours during which an attorney is “on call” or working from home.