Some In-House Lawyers Find 'Promised Land' Lacking, Consider Alternatives
Is there life outside corporate law? Some lawyers who tried alternative career paths will answer the question in the affirmative at an upcoming seminar sponsored by the Association of Corporate Counsel in Southern California.
One of them is Pamela Samuels Young, who began writing legal novels when she was an associate at O’Melveny & Myers, the Daily Journal reports. Now a Toyota Motor Sales managing counsel for labor and employment law, she has written two books and has a third that is soon to be published.
Stuart Pardau, chairman of the committee that planned the event, told the Daily Journal that the program has generated exceptional interest this year. He said times are tough, and some in-house lawyers are dissatisfied.
“Some people view going in-house as the great haven where you find the promised land,” said Pardau, an associate general counsel with The McGraw-Hill Companies. “In fact, people seem to be working longer hours for less pay [than those in private practice]. There’s a degree of job insecurity.”
For some lawyers, alternatives consist of running a side business while practice law. The ABA Journal profiled lawyers who pursued their business dreams in the July story, “Of Passions and Practice.”
