Legal Specialists’ Post

This is something I'm still trying to grapple with - the unfortunately quite common hidden/disguised perception; Innovation being seen or treated as less than (in a general sense across the industry) compared to lawyers or fee earners, and the justification of such a huge pay gap even for senior roles (versus an NQ-level lawyer), when effectively they are quite different roles with very different requirements on skillset and experience. In my honest opinion, one role's demands are no less than the other: they are just very distinct. I feel there is a need for a general re-evaluation of the salary benchmarks, thresholds and bands in the industry, if firms want to not only attract the best talent available but also grow and retain them. If the 'pioneering/leading' firms are serving so much lip service to how much they prioritise or invest in Innovation and Legal Tech, then you would hope they would back it up by investing more into it and not treat Innovation teams (amongst other departments) as yet another cost-cutting/saving opportunity - 'putting their money wheir their mouths' at'. Innovation payscale doesn't have to be pegged under lawyers' - I'm not saying it should be higher than by number of years (of experience), but that it doesn't need to be necessarily limited by or determined relative to. These roles bring a fresh, dynamic set of value offering to the table. They make lawyers better, some Innovation teams are revenue-generating and some roles are billable! I wish that this is recognised more and importantly, financially rewarded better within the legal sphere. As it stands, the current state of things is quite discouraging and disheartening for people wanting or considering to start their careers in Innovation (I've personally spoken to many who feel the same), for those trying to grow and progress further, and for practising lawyers wanting to pivot into Innovation.

Look at me! Asking Legal Steve all of the questions. Poor Legal Steve!

I’ve seen employees with many years of know-how leaving an organisation. Often, they’re gold dust and it is very hard to find the right replacement. They take their technical know-how [including uncaptured IP] with them elsewhere. Patenting decreases the likelihood of inventor mobility by up to 42% for each patent granted, making human capital more specific to the organisation. It is argued that patents limit the inventor's ability to replicate an innovation elsewhere, while simultaneously increasing the inventor’s value to their employer, especially when their involvement is crucial for bringing the innovation to market. Not capturing your IP early risks your employee leaving and/or replicating your technology elsewhere. Further, if you don’t have the right person to capture your IP, there will be many missed opportunities and your technology/brand will be vulnerable.

The in-house legal market is warming up! Over the past 12 months, we saw a slow down in hiring. But, it seems that the market is starting to gain strength. Talking with GCs at VCs, it sounds like their workload is picking up and we're seeing the knock on effect with hiring in the tech space. Businesses focusing on profitability have increased the sizes of their sales teams and the demand for commercial counsels is high. I'm hiring for a few roles currently that are worth mentioning: - Head of Commercial Law (Berlin) - Commercial Counsel (Berlin or remote) - Legal Counsel - Commercial, IP, IT, Privacy (Berlin) DM for more info. #Legal #LegalJobs #InHouseCounsel

If you like patents and wonder how is it to work for an international organization, check out WIPO's below call for a legal officer.

Don't wait for more legal ops jobs to pop-up; get ready now for when they do! When talking to legal professionals looking to break into legal ops, I frequently hear: - "Not many legal ops jobs around here."  - "No legal ops job market in my region." Some even consider relocating to get a legal ops role, while others settle for a job they don't love. Before landing my first legal ops job, I had never seen a posting for one. This opportunity was in a different province, and despite my former employer's preference for hybrid work, I applied. The job had been open for over five months. I knew I had a better chance of securing the job than they did of finding the right candidate. As a result, I got the job. Fully remote. It took us 15 days to seal the deal. Before my next legal ops job, there weren't many listings either. I still applied to a few to test the waters. I knew I had a good chance of advancing to a higher role, so I needed to be patient. When the opportunity came, I was ready enough to know that it's the best one. It took us 21 days to seal the deal. Just because there aren't many legal ops opportunities available around you doesn't mean you can't pursue that career path. If this scenario sounds familiar to you, I opened 5 new discovery calls to discuss how you can secure a legal ops job in a challenging market. Use this link to book your spot now: https://bit.ly/4ang4D5 #legaloperations #inhouselegal #careertransition #careerdevelopment #legalcareer

A good transactional lawyer will be seen as a Revenue Enabler rather than a Cost Center. You want to help clients get deals over the finish line faster, not slow deals down. Pick your battles. Creatively solve open issues. Escalate promptly - with specific options and a recommendation - and get a decision when required. It's not rocket science, yet it always amazes me how many corporate lawyers don't do these simple things. That's why Outside GC only hires law partners with in-house GC experience and often business experience as well as legal. There are no career-law-firm-lawyers at OGC. I have blue chip big firm experience (Shearman & Sterling in NYC & Akin Gump in DC) and in-house GC experience (in a private equity owned company seeking an exit), as well as Biz Dev and Corm Dev experience. All our lawyers have similar profiles.

I spend a lot of time speaking with people who are looking to change legal ops roles. I encourage them to think about the following: ✋ Head of legal ops or not: Do you want to be the person running the function? I know people who stepped up into the role and enjoy it; I also know people who are happy to remain individual contributors in legal ops. 💡 Originate or inherit legal ops: Do you want to be the company's first legal ops hire? Building a function from scratch can be exciting. It can also be a slog. To be sure, it's a different kind of challenge altogether. 🏢 Company/legal team size: Do you want to work in a small, medium, or large company (which usually maps to legal team size)? IMO there *is* a "right answer" for each individual based on experience. At this point you can say (for example), "I want to originate the legal ops function at a medium-sized company." Then it's a question of comparing offers against one another. My strong recommendation is to prioritize as follows: 👱 Work for the best boss you can find. A great boss is what will ultimately get you the scope, comp, and title you want. 📑 Scope is so important because, uh, it's what you'll actually be doing. Make sure it aligns with your ambition and interests. 💵 Say it with me: Comp is more important than title. Comp is more important than title. Comp is more important than title. #legalops #legaltech #hiring #jobsearch

Being a legal professional and balancing administrative task can be quite challenging and overwhelming… If you notice any of these signs, Then it’s time for you to get yourself Legal Virtual Assistant. 🌸You are drowning in admin work 🌸Your files are scattered all over your computer 🌸You keep missing deadlines 🌸Your Billing is a mess 🌸you need help but not full time 🌸You can’t keep track of your Time and expenses These signs indicate that a Legal Virtual Assistant can help lighten the workload, allowing legal professionals to focus on their core responsibilities. Want to learn more about the benefits of hiring a Legal VA? Let’s chat!

Dear Lawyers, Your job is not truly secure. Even if you're: - in tier 1 firm. - the best employee. - working there for 5 years. - having a super friendly office. You must: - Learn a good legal skill. - Learn how to help people with your skill. - Learn how to monetize your skill (learn sales) - Setup a small WFH online legal service business. Understand this and have a backup. P.S. I chose drafting contracts because it's in demand + remote. choose yours!