Career Strategies

Consider All of Your Options: How I Transitioned From In-House Counsel to Law Firm Partner by Linda R. Evers

As in-house counsel, we often think of our next career opportunity as moving one step closer to becoming a general counsel; if that seems elusive, many of us make plans to move to and up the ranks on the business side. Although becoming a general counsel or a corporate executive is a traditional goal for in-house counsel, there is another option that is often overlooked: the law firm. After spending my entire legal career as in-house counsel, I recently accepted a position as a shareholder with the law firm of Stevens & Lee.  Below are some tips that are helpful for overall career advancement as well as what I believe led to my nontraditional path to law firm partnership:

1. Develop and maintain a high level of industry knowledge – Take every opportunity to learn as much as possible about your company and its industry.  My original in-house position at FirstEnergy was as a generalist. It did not take long for me to realize that at an electric utility, regulatory law is the cream of the crop. I expressed my goal to move away from handling bankruptcy and general customer service type of issues and become more involved in regulatory work. I volunteered to take cases and assignments related to regulatory law that many would run from. For example, I particularly recall contacting the general counsel on vacation to inform her that I would like to handle an investigation that was just announced by a state regulatory agency. I got the assignment which led to nine months of long days engaged in discovery, public input hearings (translated as public complaint sessions), administrative hearings and settlement conferences.  Although it was hard work, this case provided me with the opportunity to learn details about providing electric service that many long-term employees did not know about.

2. Maintain superior legal skills – Do not fall into the habit of simply pushing work to outside counsel. Public utility regulatory law involves a fair amount of multiple party litigations before the state’s public utility commission. As much as possible, I would litigate many of the large high value cases myself, without the use of outside counsel. This placed me toe-to-toe with partners and senior associates at many of the law firms as we fought for our respective clients. When I did engage outside counsel, I remained very involved in the strategy and development of the case. Working closely with outside counsel gave me the opportunity to learn from some great lawyers. It also provided outside counsel with direct observation of my skills and industry knowledge.

3. Have the difficult conversation – Although I loved the work I was doing at FirstEnergy, I felt that my promotions were not keeping pace with my performance and the value I brought to the company. I did not suffer in silence. I asked my boss and general counsel about my future with the company. I was told that my decision not to relocate to corporate headquarters was a career limiting decision. That candid discussion forced me to honestly consider my goals and how I wanted to achieve them. I could relocate and possibly advance further, look for a new job, or stay in my current position, which I loved. Stay? Could I be satisfied long-term in a job that had no realistic growth opportunities? I was not sure of the answer. I was very successful, well respected for my industry expertise and my overall feelings about the company and my clients were positive. Usually I am not opposed to relocating as evidenced by the fact that I have moved three times throughout my career. But now with a 12-year-old son and a husband with close ties to the community as a gospel music consultant, we believed as a family that moving was not God’s will for us at this time. Eventually, I decided it could not hurt to explore my options outside of the company.

4. Consider the obvious…or the not so obvious – As members of CCWC®, we all know the value of networking; and that’s how I began my job search. Instead of reviewing the typical online job search websites, I decided to contact people I knew in the industry. In addition to other companies, I also approached several attorneys I could trust at law firms to let them know I was interested in pursuing other in-house options, with the thought being that they work with many companies and might provide me  leads. Having observed my work ethic and industry knowledge, one attorney suggested that I consider his firm. My first reaction was a quick and emphatic “no.” I had never been at a firm; therefore, why would I want to start at this stage of the game? My husband and several close friends and mentors suggested that I at least talk with my current firm because “it’s always good to keep your options open.” My problem was that I did not consider a law firm a viable option. I had dinner with them simply to check the box. Many dinners later, I began to understand how my in-depth utility experience would be of great value to a firm with a history of hiring industry leaders to enhance the specialty practices the firm provides to its clients.  Additionally, with 17 years of experience as in-house counsel, my business acumen and first-hand understanding of in-house counsel’s goals and objectives would be invaluable to the firm’s overall business development. My new firm is located just 15 minutes from my home – an intangible bonus for someone not wanting to relocate! Given the potential for unlimited financial and professional gains, I decided it was a risk I needed to take.  So far, it looks like the right move.

In my focus research group for CCWC® in Las Vegas, there was general agreement that we are often the roadblock to our career advancement. It’s true; I did make a career-limiting decision by not wanting to relocate. But, as an ambitious career woman, that just meant I had some additional decisions to make. I had to be creative and design a successful career that lined up with my other life goals. Working as in-house counsel provides you with the opportunity to gain business insight in addition to sharp legal skills in a specialized area. After years of being the client, in-house attorneys have the opportunity to maximize its value to law firms by bringing strong legal skills and corporate knowledge. When you seize those opportunities, you provide yourself with new options.

*Linda R. Evers is former in-house counsel at FirstEnergy and recently joined the law firm of Stevens & Lee in Reading, Pennsylvania.