Trueline Talent’s Vanguard Law Magazine has interviewed 116 legal leaders, 111 of them in-house, and the patterns are useful for anyone on either side of in-house legal hiring. Median team size among those who said: five. Seven were departments of one. Nearly a quarter built the legal function from scratch.
Here is the part job boards won’t love. About 19% credited a former colleague, client, mentor or board member for a key career move; 5% credited a recruiter. Hiring managers say they screen for judgment, curiosity and business fluency, and some are wary of candidates steeped in law firm culture. If you want in-house counsel roles, your network is doing half the work. Plan your next career move accordingly.
“Curiosity came up in 1 in 3 interviews, more often than adaptability, resilience or integrity, the traits leaders most often paired it with.”
Read: In-House Legal Hiring: Vanguard Law Magazine Content Study at Trueline Talent (Vanguard Law Magazine)