In-house: Looking for a star

Tell us about your career to date?

Sarah McConnell (2018 winner): I started my career working in-house with Glasgow City Council. After completing my traineeship, I joined the Corporate & Property Law department where I specialised in freedom of information and data protection. This was a great opportunity to get involved with various projects, particularly as the council was preparing for the implementation of the GDPR, an exciting new area of law at the time! After seven years, I moved to the private sector to work in-house as a data protection officer and solicitor before recently returning to the public sector to work for NHS 24 in data protection.

Angus Niven (2021 winner): I’ve had quite a varied career to date. I’ve worked in both small and large firms before joining a property company and then on to a media/education company. This has given me a wide experience of different clients and deals which I’ve found extremely useful in the varied role of general counsel and company secretary. I always try to pursue development opportunities that interest me, which is why I also worked on the board of Scottish Ice Hockey and during lockdown pursued a management course with LSE.

What did winning the In-house Rising Star Award mean to you?

SM: I was delighted both to be nominated by my colleagues, and then to go on to actually win the In-house Rising Star Award, as it showed recognition for my hard work and contribution towards Glasgow City Council’s GDPR preparations. It was an honour to be recognised amongst so many excellent lawyers who were shortlisted and it was great to be able to celebrate with everyone at the awards ceremony.

AN: Winning the Rising Star award was a real validation of the work I had put in to date. Stepping in-house is always a steep learning curve, so it meant a lot to get this sort of formal recognition for the work I had done. Regardless of your experience in private practice, in-house is a big jump into a really different type of role. There are other expectations and pressures placed on you, so it was great to win the award in 2021.

Why do you think it’s important to recognise the achievements of those early in their careers?

SM: Recognising the achievements of young solicitors helps to encourage career development and celebrate career milestones. Young solicitors often face a steep learning curve, so awards like the In-house Rising Star Award help to show appreciation for their contribution.

The award is fantastic as it also showcases the variety of opportunities to work in-house for different employers and the wide range of work this can involve.

AN: I think it’s important to encourage people at every stage of their careers, and one of the best ways to do that is by formally/publicly recognising achievements. It’s a real boost for people who are trying to establish themselves in a new field and attempting to upskill themselves and develop their career.

You’ve continued (or returned) to work in house – what do you particularly enjoy about your role and working in-house?

SM: While it is a cliché, no two days are the same working in-house. There is a fantastic variety of work, whether a new problem to tackle or an exciting new project to help launch.

I find working in-house affords a satisfying opportunity to get involved in projects from the beginning through to completion. Through this process, you really get to know and build relationships with colleagues from different areas of the business – always learning lots along the way!

AN: Like every in-house lawyer I enjoy variety: not necessarily knowing what type of work may be on the agenda for the coming weeks or months keeps the job interesting. I particularly enjoy getting involved in growing the business: working in-house fully immerses you in the commercial aims and allows you to jump on projects across the business.

What advice would you give students and lawyers who want to start a career in-house? What makes a good in-house lawyer?

SM: I would encourage a student interested in working in-house to look at in-house traineeships. I found my traineeship at Glasgow City Council gave me excellent support from colleagues and exposure to challenging work right from the beginning.

Trainee solicitors working in-house often feel that they are given more responsibility early in their careers compared to their peers in private practice, so if this appeals to you, working in-house could be a good fit.

Likewise, if someone is early in their career and looking to move in-house, I would encourage them to go for it. It is never too early to move in-house, and there are lots of employers that are interested in hiring newly qualified solicitors.

AN: I think the most important thing is to understand the commercial goals of the team and the commercial impact of your decisions and actions. You need to make yourself a key part of the growth of the company and be ready to throw yourself into anything. A good in-house lawyer engages with and provides stability to business units driving the growth, making that growth sustainable and lasting.

What are the key challenges for in-house teams? How does the future look for in-house lawyers?

AN: Communication: you need to be across several teams and the communication of instructions is entirely different from private practice. Making sure you have good working relationships with several teams at different levels, and often across multiple offices, is vital.

Another key challenge, not unique to in-house, is speed versus accuracy. Often, you have internal clients who favour speed and only become concerned with accuracy once there is a problem down the line. You need to work hard to set expectations but also hit deadlines without sacrificing accuracy in drafting, etc. 

I think the future is positive for in-house lawyers, whether a generalist in a small company or a specialist within a larger team. In-house legal teams provide great value to their companies and form a vital part of lasting growth. We offer a skillset that allows us to work across all business units, getting involved with everything from funding rounds to data policies to transaction management to HR, and everything in between.

Nominations are now open for the Law Society of Scotland In-house Rising Star Award 2022.

The In-house Rising Star Award recognises the outstanding achievement of a newly qualified Scottish solicitor or trainee who is working in-house. The winner will be announced at the In-house Annual Conference in June.

Nominees must be Scottish in-house trainees or in-house solicitors with up to five years’ post-qualification experience. Nominations will be judged by members of the In-house Lawyers’ Committee and key individuals working closely with the in-house lawyer community.

ILC co-conveners, Sheekha Saha and Vlad Valiente, said: “This past year has been another year of challenges for the profession. Many of those just starting out in their careers have been severely impacted by the pandemic but have done an incredible job of rising to the challenges posed by COVID-19 over the past 12 months. The award gives us an opportunity to celebrate the phenomenal talent we have in the in-house legal community and the important contribution of those in the early stages of their careers to their organisations.”

Arlene Gibbs, one of the ILC vice conveners and a member of this year’s judging panel, added: “Many of our trainees and newly qualified colleagues have had to adapt to working remotely without the usual workplace support networks over the past two years, and I really encourage my in-house colleagues to take time to recognise the hard work of their organisation’s legal stars and get their nominations in!”

The closing date for nominations is 18 May 2022. For more information see www.lawscot.org.uk/risingstaraward