Job Responsibilities
My duties include negotiating and drafting agreements (60%),
attending departmental meetings (10%), providing miscellaneous
legal support for various departments (10%), managing outside
counsel in litigation and other matters (20%)
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Job Requirements
The hiring requirements are a law degree from a top law school
and at least 1 year of experience in a law firm.
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Uppers
The best thing is having the freedom to be creative and structure deals earlier
in the process in a way that makes sense. It's substantially more fun than
practicing law in a law firm. And, there are no billable hours!
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Downers
Working with people who have little or no concern for liability
to the company and who pursue their own agenda, even if it is
not necessarily in line with the company's best interests.
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Lifestyle
It's a very casual work environment, with no dress code. The offices are
decorated in a very dot-com-ish sort of way; with concrete floors and every wall
painted in a different primary color than the others. The hours are very
predictable; 9:30 - 6:30 is typical.
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Compensation
Base salary varies depending on experience, but in this
position, you should expect a base salary of between $60K -
$100K, depending on your level of experience. Bonuses are
completely discretionary. Stock options are negotiable, but you
have to know to ask for them during the hiring process; many
people never ask and, thus, never receive any equity stake in
the company.
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Advice to Jobseekers
With the substantial increase in law firm billing rates over the
last decade, the job for in-house counsel at companies that
require top notch legal advice should remain high. The best way
to get these sort of jobs is by aggressively building your
network so that you immediately know of positions when they
become available; most companies fill open positions based on
someone's personal recommendations.
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