Career Transitions: From Law Firm to In-House and, Possibly, Back Again

Valerie Fontaine, Partner, Seltzer Fontaine Beckwith, USA

Many law firm lawyers hope, at some point in their legal careers, to move in-house with a corporate law department. Often they seek to eliminate the pressure to develop business, abandon the hassles of timesheets, work fewer hours or at least gain more control over their work schedules, increase job security, do work that more directly advances a company’s goals, and, perhaps eventually, move from the legal function to the business side of a company. When the economic outlook is good, the lure of stock options also is an important factor. How do these rosy perceptions of life inside a corporation’s law department compare to reality? Transitioning from a law firm to in-house is a big career decision. Therefore, before embarking upon such a move, the wise lawyer considers all of the ramifications.

As a founding partner of Seltzer Fontaine Beckwith, a legal search firm based in Los Angeles, and former practicing lawyer, Valerie Fontaine has assisted hundreds of attorneys with their career transitions. Valerie places attorneys with law firms, corpora

Founded over 25 years ago, Seltzer Fontaine Beckwith is one of California?s oldest and most prominent legal search firms. Seltzer Fontaine Beckwith specializes in the placement of lawyers with leading law firms, corporations, and non-profits in California