I think a simple search of the forum and you will find more threads about being a lawyer than being an in-house legal (executive to managerial position).

During my extended absence from this forum, I have received a few enquiries about becoming an in-house legal as well.

I have close to 6 years working experience.

I did not do my Bar but I have completed my CLP but I have never practiced.

My first job was an intern in a law firm and my second was a compliance officer in a future broking house.

My main specialty is in Capital Market Services (stockbroking, futures and unit trust) and I have some experience in Plantation (very short stint).

Currently, I hold a Managerial Position.

It’s much more easier for lawyers to go into in-house legal for obvious reasons but significantly more challenging for fresh law graduates to get into in-house legal. Ultimately, you need to decide on your career path because each route you take will require you to make sacrifice. So what sacrifice do I mean? As lawyer going into in-house, your exposure will be limited to your industry that you are employed in. Whereas as a law graduate going into in-house, any attempt to go back into practice later on will be challenging (example, 35 year old in house legal and having to sit through chambering?... err hell no?).Unless you have a very good reason to, my advice is “Don’t change Horses in Mid Stream”.

- for in house legal, the basic entry level requirement is to have at least 1-2 year experience.
- it fairly difficult for fresh law graduates to apply but not impossible.

- I started as a junior compliance officer, a rank higher than a clerk believe it or not. I stayed for about a year and rose to the rank of executive. As I was about to quit my existing post, I got an offer from the legal department of another subsidiary. That’s where my in house legal career took flight, where I met my mentor/teacher, learnt how to draft, think and excel.

- in general having knowledge of conveyancing and/or litigation is a plus.
- next you should arm yourself with industry relevant knowledge. If you do not know what your employer product is, how are you suppose to draft or advise on legal issues?
- knowledge can be gained in several ways:-
>there are courses on offer that you can take to help you advance your career, example licensing courses offered by SIDC or become a Certified Banker under IBBM’s course.
>if you are willing to accept a lower pay and position, work with it first. This will give you direct exposure in the company’s internal working and business.

- funny part is, I tried to switch from Banking to Plantation. They wanted me to take up Agricultural Business Portfolio which involves FMCG (fast moving consumer goods product). To my employer I was considered fresh meat but the main reason I got the job was because I had basic knowledge of the industry itself i.e. My family’s business closely related to plantation. The transition therefore wasn’t too bad. I quit soon after because I had a better offer.

- one of the most crucial areas of being an in-house legal is to be able to communicate to both management and colleagues alike in a clear and concise manner. Say it as it is and tell it as it is. Sugar coat where needed, albeit in a tactful way and sparingly.
- I reckon joining associations like toastmaster would help a person with public speaking and the ability to convince another to look your way.

To be honest till today, am still a fairly poor communicator and even my boss recommended me to go for soft skill courses. I see this as an opportunity to sneak off to courses instead of being stuck in this stuffy office (lolz..). Sneaking aside, if you want to be heard, you first need to know your stuff in and out. There are some people who are natural talkers (see Wolf of Wall Street) but I am just not one of them. I can be a complete air head if I am not briefed in advance. Read up and understand the issue before you attend to a meeting/discussion.

- I still remember as a junior executive, it took an hour or two just to write an email to Client or Colleagues because I was so fearful of writing nonsense.
- this is an unfortunate pitfall for a legal graduate, since our legal education regime is so rigid that it does not prepare us to draft even a letter, let alone an agreement. All we can think of are templates but don’t rely too much on it because it will come a point where there are no templates for you to rely on.
- If you are keen on certain industries that you intend to apply for, try “Google” up contracts that are relevant to the industry and read up.
- Create hypothetical issue and ask yourself how are you going to go about advising your management of the issue concerned? Once you have drafted your opinion, let your parents or friends have a look and see whether they understand what you have written?

Freshly minted as a legal executive, I recalled one of my task to draft a legal opinion in an attempt to convince management to decide in a certain direction. Had sleepless nights, cold sweat and a lot of hair pulling involved, lo and behold, I managed to eke out something and submitted it to my boss, only to be told it wasn’t relevant. 2-3 weeks of drafting and research down the drain. Today, I have developed my own style of opinion drafting and it doesn’t take me weeks to draft an opinion probably days depending on complexity. That’s why I think legal practice is called a “practice” because everyday your suppose to practice and refine your work till its polished.

- if a company is hiring legal executives, it can generally only mean one thing… the head of legal need additional head count to alleviate work burden.
- you must be able to show that you are both competent (albeit you are not required to show extraordinary performance but a level that commensurate with your title) but have the thirst of learning.
- be mindful not to be a burden to your boss as he/she has probably enough work on his/her mind to worry about.
- before you apply for a position in an industry you “think” you are interested in, go to JobStreet for instance and have a look at their job description. Prepare yourself in those areas that are required.

I remember my first proper job after attachment and joining a futures broker. I had no idea what a futures broker do nor have I heard of the company before! It was a case of groping in the dark. Nevertheless, I took it upon myself to learn, understand the business and venture into territories that no one would touch or consider toxic to find a solution so that the business interest could flourish. True enough by the time I departed the company, the lessons I learnt became the foundations as a legal executive. Remember I mentioned it took me hours to type an email, now it only takes me minutes. Of course it still boils down to complexity of the issue concerned.

Junior executives – between RM 1,500- 2,500
Executives – between RM 2,500 – 3,500
Senior Executive – between RM 3,500 - 5,500
Assistant Manager – RM 5,500 – RM 7,000
Manager – RM 7,000 – RM 10,000
Head of Department – RM 10,000 above

min 3%, mid 5%, max 10%

Believe it or not I did mine in point form instead of the long wordy essay in samples that you see. Unlike other professions, the work you have done reflects your level of experience, complexity and issue involved.

> specialization (your scope is limited to the industry your company is venturing in)
> stability in income
> family time
> additional benefits

> limited experience gained (you won’t learn conveyancing/litigation in certain industries)
> limited income
> an employee only (lawyers can gradually evolved to become their own boss and running their own show)
> no knowledge of conveyancing/litigation (this is probably the biggest hurdle for those who intend to jump directly into in-house as a law graduate, this will have an impact on your salary)

> change jobs every 1-2 years.
> if you have a knack for reading annual reports, a profitable company generally pays well.

Given the choice, I would perhaps do my chambering. The area I would want to learn is conveyancing and litigation. These are probably the biggest pitfall for one who has jumped directly into in-house legal. Thereafter, I would consider whether to join in-house or to continue where I am. Take that 1-3 years to practice and hone certain skills that will be useful and enhance your value i.e. drafting, review, opinion writing etc… and/ or certain areas of law that are useful (specialty areas) i.e. labour/employment law.

Although my conclusion is skewed in a certain direction, it does not preclude you from attempting to apply for an in-house position. Ultimately, you have to weight all the concerns and determine the best course to take.

Lawyers: A user's guide to years of trouble-free performance Print Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email
Source
Business Times
Date
19 May 2014
AuthorAdrian Tan
CONGRATULATIONS on acquiring your lawyer. You are well on the way to obtaining full legal protection and representation. Please read this user's guide before operating your lawyer.

A lawyer is a human being (in a broad sense) qualified to provide legal services for you. Although there is a wide range of models available, every lawyer has three essential features:

• Your lawyer explains legal things to you.
• Your lawyer helps you make decisions on legal things.
• Your lawyer communicates legal things to other people on your behalf.

Do not use your lawyer to carry out tasks that are outside the range of these features. For example:

• Your lawyer does not evaluate business decisions for you. Use a "business consultant" instead.
• Your lawyer does not care about your emotional health. Use a "therapist" instead.
• Your lawyer is not a dinner companion or a receptacle for conversation. Use a "friend" instead.

Choosing the right lawyer

Before putting your lawyer to work, please check that you have the right model of lawyer for the job.

Singapore litigation: If you are thinking of suing someone in Singapore, or if you are being sued, you need a type of lawyer known as an "Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore". This type of lawyer can be used in Singapore courts, and will come with its own official documentation known as a "Practising Certificate". Beware of taking litigation advice from persons who are not Singapore-qualified lawyers. Always make sure that the lawyer you have is genuine. Beware of counterfeits.

All other types of legal work: If you are involved in arbitration, mediation, or if you are looking for advice on non-contentious work, then you are free to choose from the wide range of local or imported models that are available on our island.

Whether for litigation or otherwise, users should choose lawyers with whom they are comfortable.

Some users prefer large established brands who have a wide range of capabilities. Others look for specialists. The important thing to remember is that it is not a "one size fits all" situation. Each time you are faced with a legal situation, look at the situation afresh and make sure that you know what your choices are.

Some users feel that choosing a lawyer is as important as choosing a spouse. Of course, that is ridiculous. It's far more important to choose the right lawyer. After all, your spouse will not save you from bankruptcy or a death sentence.

Set-up

Before starting to use your lawyer, always remember to have an Engagement Letter in place. That's a document setting out the things that you want your lawyer to do for you. It should also tell you what your lawyer will cost.

There are two types of costing: time-based and project-based. In a time-based situation, the Engagement Letter will tell you the lawyer and the lawyer's team hourly rates. For project-based work, the Engagement Letter sets out an estimate of how much you should expect to pay at the end of the job.

In either case, you can ask for a "fee cap", which is a limit on how much the lawyer can charge you. You may dispense with that if you have experience working with a lawyer that you trust. But remember, if it's a strange new lawyer, always use a cap.

Regular operation

To use your lawyer, you need to be familiar with a special type of interface tool: writing.

Lawyers are purpose-built creatures. They work best when they have a clear idea of what is expected from them. To tell them what you expect, use written communication such as e-mail.

Users sometimes encounter problems if they try to operate their lawyers by using methods such as "meetings" or "telephone calls". Such methods may be suitable for other types of human beings. However, they are unsuitable for lawyers for two reasons.

• Meetings are costly, especially when you are paying on time-charges. Anything that needs to be said in a two-hour meeting can be said in an e-mail that takes only 15 minutes to read and understand.
• Telephone calls have a flaw: they depend on the lawyer picking up your call, or returning it. Such behaviour by a lawyer is rare.

If you are fortunate enough to have a face-to-face meeting with your lawyer, or speak to your lawyer on the phone, remember these tips:

• Avoid speaking to your lawyer about non-legal matters, such as the weather. This will create confusion in your lawyer.
• Be on time.
• Do not expect your lawyer to be on time.
• Finish on time.

Most of the time, you will derive maximum benefit from your lawyer when you write. Your lawyer will respond in similar fashion. Your relationship will then be smooth and untroubled.

Troubleshooting

In this section, we list common problems that users encounter with their lawyers, and their likely solutions.

My lawyer is not working. There is no picture or sound.

Check the following:

• Is it a weekend or public holiday?
• Is your lawyer in court?
• Have you signed an engagement letter?
• Have you paid all invoices?
• Is your lawyer dead? Check for heartbeat (heart required - not available in all models).

My lawyer is speaking gibberish.

This may appear to be a problem, but it is not the lawyer's problem. Lawyers occasionally default to their native language ("legalese"). To resolve this issue, do the following:

• Step one: Tell your lawyer, "I do not understand what you said, as I am a normal human being and not a lawyer."
• Step two: Listen for the response.
• Step three: Repeat step one.

My lawyer is not very smart.

This is not possible. Perhaps you are not smart enough to realise how smart your lawyer is.

If you are truly dissatisfied with your lawyer's performance, you are entitled to exchange your lawyer for another. Unfortunately, no refunds are entertained.

My lawyer will not network.

It is important to understand that each lawyer is a piece of standalone hardware, and cannot easily connect with others, even other lawyers. You may have an excellent capital markets lawyer whom you may wish to interface with your banking lawyer. Although it may appear to work on paper, in practice such networking may lead to compatibility issues. Lawyers take great care in building up enormous firewalls, and will not readily share information.

My lawyer wants to quit.

Lawyers have very limited operational capabilities. If you require a lawyer to do any of the following tasks, it will result in a system crash:

• Advise on anything illegal
• Lie to a judge
• Disclose any confidential information obtained from another client
• Offer a discount

General care, usage and disposal

Do not discard a lawyer if it ceases to practise. Used lawyers may be recycled for usage in a limited range of circumstances, such as:

• operating F&B outlets
• producing theatre
• entering politics (arguably same as the above)

If used for the purpose for which they were manufactured, lawyers are relatively maintenance-free. They often last for many years. They do not require feeding (although drinking is a separate matter entirely). They require only the occasional bone to pick or ambulance to chase. With that in mind, we wish you years of satisfaction with your lawyer.