‘Will an in-house training contract hurt my chances of qualifying into a law firm?’

In summary – no! And don’t let people convince you it will.

Plenty of people move into private practice following in-house training. Particularly in regulated sectors – such as telco, financial services, energy. It’s incredibly valuable experience to leverage, as in-house counsels hone skills of application of the law (which is ultimately what clients want) and are directly involved in each step of decision making. In-house gives unique experience of this. Also, in many cases in-house offers a secondment to one of a company’s panel firms.

Ultimately you have to take responsibility for your career and understand what private practice firms are looking for and ensure to gain this in your in-house role. It actually isn’t too difficult. Make the most out of your training contract – make a name for yourself and try step outside your comfort zone to grow your skillset.

You should also attend industry events and grow your network with private practice lawyers if your aim is to move into private practice.

No, I trained in-house and transitioned to private practice a year after qualifying. It was a bit of a slog, but not overly difficult.

If you’re considering a move into private practice, focus on building your connections during your training. When you do make the shift, your in-house experience becomes a business development asset. If one of your contacts moves to a different organisation, that’s potentially two business development opportunities (that’s not to say relationships should be built just for BD but hopefully you get the point im trying to make. It helps your marketability).

People, myself included, sometimes assume it’s harder to go from in-house to private practice. But I’ve spoken with a couple of partners and a GC at major firms and organisations who actually think the opposite. Sure, they’re in the minority, but it goes to show the path isn’t as binary as it might seem.