It’s like the chicken and the egg but not really – in some cases in-house experience provides a distinct advantage, and in others, law firm lawyers are just as competitive for in-house counsel jobs:
“The requirement of prior in house experience for in house opportunities has ridden a swinging pendulum since the late 90’s. It started with the Dot-Com Boom as new companies hit the corporate scene and hired lawyers at a frenetic pace. During that time, in house lawyers were scarce. So the law firms were the primary hunting ground for legal talent….In 2010, as the world began its recovery from the prior year’s economic Armageddon, the legal profession hit another evolutionary milestone. The in house legal department began a new expansion – adding diverse practice capabilities to its ranks…So what’s the trajectory of the pendulum today?
Read: How important is in house experience when applying for an in house job? at The Lawyer Whisperer