In-House Careers: Know Your Worth

Part of driving in-house value recognition is being cognizant of your own value and making sure that your business appreciates the same. 

Far too many in-house lawyers fail to recognize their true worth within their organization, industry and across the global workplace. This can introduce a tendency to just “settle” with the status quo. 

Here are 12 things that you need to know about the in-house lawyer:

• Smart: in-house lawyers are usually the smartest people in the room. Fact! 
• Analytical: we can analyse pretty much everything
• Learners: lifelong
• Management of everything: files, transactions, people, problems, admin, policies, etc
• Risk: a nose for it 
• Influence: we exert it all day
• Sales: convincing others is “sales”
• Aware: we read docs, rooms and people in seconds
• Communications: high distinction (mostly)
• Adaptability: we prevail despite little notice, under-resourcing, poor instructions, etc.
• Ethics: as a profession –a strong moral compass
• Work Ethic: strong to unbreakable

So, tell me what role in the business world does not value these attributes?

Any new skill we need – most of the time we can get it. 

As long we don’t propagate risk-based paralysis – the in-house lawyer can effectively move into any type of business/commercial position that they fancy. 

So, stand tall – be confident about your worth – move to where it is greatly valued. And this means always asking – what else is out there – because there is not much that you cannot do.

Push the limits as to what you can achieve in-house as it is an awesome place to work. But always be aware that our value can be expressed far beyond the doors of the legal department. 

If you want more in-house legal team performance and career insights – please do join the GLS Legal Operations Community for free at: JOIN THE COMMUNITY   

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