Coolest in-house counsel jobs in the world
Of course what makes a “cool” in-house counsel job will swing on individual interests or even what is going on in the world but we have listed some of the sectors to work in which will instantly make you the most interesting person to talk to in any room. Tech Giants: Working as in-house counsel for leading technology companies like Atlassian, Google, Apple, Meta or Amazon can offer the opportunity to work on cutting-edge legal issues at the forefront of technology and innovation. These companies often deal with complex legal challenges related to intellectual property, data privacy, and all things artificial intelligence. Entertainment and Media: There is so much going on in this sector right now, it’s crazy. In-house counsel roles at major entertainment companies such as Disney, Warner Media, Netflix, or Sony Pictures can be exciting due to involvement in negotiating deals for film rights, intellectual property, content licensing agreements, and navigating the evolving landscape of generative AI and digital media distribution. Start-ups and Venture Capital: Nothing will get your heart racing like working with a start up where you can sit alongside founders and help realise a vision. Serving as in-house counsel for start-ups or venture capital firms can be dynamic and fast-paced. It involves advising on a wide range of legal matters, including corporate governance, financing rounds, intellectual property protection, and regulatory compliance. Start-ups often offer the opportunity to work closely with founders and make a significant impact on the company’s growth trajectory. Sports and Gaming Industry: Working as in-house counsel for professional sports teams, leagues, or gaming companies can be exhilarating, particularly for sports enthusiasts. This role may involve negotiating player contracts, sponsorship agreements, broadcast rights, and navigating the regulatory landscape of sports betting and e-sports. Non-profit and Social Impact Organizations: In-house counsel roles at non-profit organisations or social impact companies offer the opportunity to combine legal expertise with a passion for making a difference in the world. This could involve addressing legal challenges related to social justice, environmental sustainability, human rights, or access to education and healthcare. Ultimately, the coolest in-house counsel job is one that aligns with your interests, values, and career goals, whether it is at a high-profile tech company, a creative industry powerhouse, a socially conscious organisation, or a start-up on the brink of disruption. These roles also provide a great pathway to working on boards. Talk to any of our consultants at Elias Recruitment for more information.
Is the Grass Greener in-house?
There are a number of benefits to working in a law firm. However, there has been a significant growth in the role of in-house counsel. If you have ever wondered what the benefits are, you may wish to consider the following: – even for just a secondment. Here is a little snippet of some of the benefits: Broadened Experience: In-house roles provide lawyers with the opportunity to gain experience in a different legal environment – in a wide variety of industries. This exposure can broaden their skill set and perspective, making them more versatile and valuable legal professionals. Enhanced Understanding of Business Operations: There is no better way to understand a business than working in one. This insight allows lawyers to offer more strategic and effective legal advice tailored to the specific needs of an organisation. Networking Opportunities: Secondments provide an excellent opportunity for networking both within and outside the legal department. Building relationships with colleagues, clients, and external partners can open doors for future career opportunities and collaborations. Career Development: Secondments offer valuable opportunities for professional development and career advancement. By taking on new challenges and responsibilities outside their comfort zone, in-house counsel can develop new skills, build confidence, and demonstrate their ability to adapt and thrive in diverse legal settings. Improved Communication Skills: Working on secondment requires in-house counsel to communicate effectively with stakeholders across different departments and levels of the organisation. This experience helps them hone their communication skills, including the ability to convey complex legal concepts to non-lawyers in a clear and concise manner. Enhanced Legal Knowledge: Secondments often involve working on projects or legal matters that may be outside the lawyer’s usual area of expertise. This exposure to new legal issues and challenges can deepen their knowledge and expertise, making them more well-rounded legal professionals. Increased Client Focus: Secondments enable in-house counsel to develop a deeper understanding of their client’s needs and priorities. By working closely with the business units or other departments, they can tailor their legal advice to better serve the organisation and its objectives. Talk to any of our consultants at Elias Recruitment for more information.
Do you need an unrestricted legal practising certificate to be an in-house lawyer in NSW?
We recently spotted an ad for a relatively junior, in-house corporate lawyer role. The job sounded terrific but the advertisement said the employer specifically needed a candidate with an unrestricted practising certificate. Whilst this might be the employer’s preference, there is certainly no legal requirement in Australia for an in-house counsel to have an unrestricted practising certificate unless they are the sole counsel. We thought it might be a good opportunity to clear up possible confusion on this topic. One of the serious issues with asking for a junior lawyer to have an unrestricted certificate is that you need at least 2 years of supervision before you are eligible. Even then, those seeking unrestricted certificates tend to be more senior than this role required. Since the commencement of the The Legal Profession Uniform Law (Uniform Law) and Rules in 2015, all in-house lawyers are required to hold a practising certificate. It also provides the benefit of legal professional privilege. In NSW, practising certificates in varying categories are issued by the Law Society of NSW according to the nature of your intended practice. Whereas an unrestricted practising certificate will unlock any kind of role, if you plan to work as an in-house lawyer, you will just need a practising certificate under the category of Corporate Legal if you are reporting to a more senior lawyer (who holds an unrestricted practising certificate). According to the Law Society of NSW, under this category “The holder is authorised to engage in legal practice as a corporate legal practitioner or government legal practitioner and also as a volunteer at a community legal service, or otherwise on a pro bono basis”. If you do not have a practising certificate but want to work in-house, do not panic. The Uniform Law includes transitional arrangements for inhouse corporate lawyers including certain exemptions. If you need help or what to learn more, contact the Law Society Membership services in your state.
Navigating Opportunities: How to Position Yourself for Legal Career Advancement
In a world where convenience is at our fingertips, from groceries to transportation, it’s natural to wonder why securing a job isn’t as simple. Many lucrative career opportunities remain hidden from public view, particularly in the legal field. Savvy employers understand that top lawyers are often too busy to scour job listings. Moreover, they prefer to keep strategic hires discreet to avoid tipping off competitors. To position yourself as a sought-after candidate, consider the following strategies: Leverage Social Networks: Ensure your LinkedIn profile effectively showcases your skills and experience. Highlight relevant projects and achievements while maintaining confidentiality. You have licence to showcase your achievements so don’t be shy. Establish Industry Expertise: Build a reputation as an industry expert by presenting at events or on podcasts, writing blogs or articles on relevant topics, and engaging with professional communities. Active participation in LinkedIn groups and industry discussions can enhance your visibility and credibility. Join our Legal Talent Pool The recently launched Legal Talent makes lives easier for legal professionals open to opportunities. Speak to one of our consultants who can anonymously approach the firm/company of your choice or simply add your profile to our Pool accessed by some of the best firms in Sydney. If they express an interest in your profile we will let you know and yo can decide if you want to release your details. Check out this explainer video Signal Interest: If you’re open to new opportunities, subtly connect with a recruiter on LinkedIn to discreetly signal interest to potential recruiters while maintaining confidentiality from your current employer. Facilitate Contact: Make it easy for headhunters to reach you by providing direct contact information on your LinkedIn profile including your phone and personal email. Maintain Professionalism: Exercise discretion throughout the recruitment process. Refrain from discussing your intentions with colleagues and refrain from reaching out directly to potential employers. Respect the confidential nature of headhunting engagements to preserve professional relationships. Remember to return calls and emails in a timely manner. Embrace Opportunities: When approached by a headhunter, consider the potential benefits of exploring new opportunities. Even if the immediate opportunity is not the right fit, maintaining a dialogue can provide valuable insights into market trends and future prospects. In conclusion, navigating the legal job market requires strategic positioning and discretion. By implementing these strategies and remaining receptive to headhunter approaches, you can enhance your prospects for career advancement while safeguarding professional integrity. Stay attuned to opportunities and maintain an open line of communication with potential recruiters to maximise your potential for success. Here is a link to our team if you wish to reach out for any assistance. Jason Elias, CEO Elias Recruitment
Enhancing Your Recruitment Strategy: 5 Steps to Attract Top Legal Talent
In today’s competitive job market, the demand for skilled legal professionals often exceeds the available supply. A recent survey by Seek highlighted that 50% of the top 20 hardest-to-fill roles across all sectors were in the legal field. Despite the challenges, there are strategic steps you can take to improve your recruitment outcomes and secure top talent. Plan Strategically: Before initiating the hiring process, it’s crucial to have a well-defined plan in place. Determine the key stakeholders involved, outline the interview process, and establish a clear timeframe for decision-making. Anticipate potential obstacles, such as unavailability of key decision-makers, and proactively address them to ensure a smooth recruitment process. Prioritise Speed: In the race to secure top talent, speed is of the essence. Just as in real estate, where timely action can make the difference between securing a property or missing out, swift decision-making is vital in recruitment. Avoid delays in scheduling interviews or extending offers, as valuable candidates may receive multiple offers concurrently. Expand Your Candidate Pool: Tap into the Legal Talent Pool: Top candidates are now readily available in a few clicks. Dive into the Legal Talent Pool to search dozens of prequalified legal candidates ready to move for the right opportunity. Streamline the Interview Process: While multiple interviews may provide valuable insights into a candidate’s suitability, unnecessarily prolonged processes can deter top talent. Consider condensing the interview process by involving key decision-makers in a single, comprehensive interview session. By minimising unnecessary delays and administrative hurdles, you can expedite the hiring process and maintain candidates’ interest. Prioritise Efficiency in Paperwork: A common pitfall in recruitment is losing promising candidates due to cumbersome administrative processes. To prevent this, prioritise efficiency in paperwork and contract preparation. Streamline the documentation process to minimise delays, ensuring that employment contracts are promptly finalised once a decision is made. Simplify contract templates to expedite the process, focusing on essential details such as name, address, and salary adjustments. By implementing these strategic measures, you can enhance your recruitment efforts and increase your chances of attracting and retaining top legal talent in today’s competitive market. Prioritising efficiency, speed, and strategic planning will position your firm as an employer of choice, driving long-term success in talent acquisition. Jason Elias, CEO Elias Recruitment
Introducing the Elias Legal Talent Pool- An Australian specialist alternative to LinkedIn for the legal profession.
One of the lesser joys of recruitment is trawling through dozens of profiles on Linkedin, with nagging doubts about whether each person is as good as their profile suggests and whether they are truly ready to make a move. From a candidate perspective, relying on Linkedin for a new role is impersonal, time consuming and risky. With no sign of legal recruitment activity slowing down in 2024, we felt there had to a better way for us to innovate and evolve our range of services. That is why we launched the Elias Legal Talent Pool. The talent pool is a platform where employers can browse pre-interviewed and pre-qualified candidates actively looking for a new role. They can search these candidates by specialisation, location, salary expectations and more and only the very best candidates who are ready to move are included. At its core, the Talent Pool is a platform that helps employers make well-informed decisions faster by having all essential candidate information in one profile that also protects candidate confidentiality at the same time. If an employer sees a profile of interest, they contact the consultant who then seeks the candidate’s consent to release more information and then the typical recruitment process (including coordinating interviews, reference checking and replacement guarantees) progresses from there. Founder and CEO of Elias Recruitment, Jason Elias says; ‘We see the Talent Pool as a transparent solution that combines the best of our award-winning recruitment expertise with leading technology to speed up the process and help more great candidates into new roles. It is also scalable and we look forward to seeing it grow in 2024 to become the first port of call for any employers looking for talent in the legal sector. There is no fee to access the Talent Pool currently and no costs unless the candidate is hired. Then our normal recruitment fee applies.” To register to use the talent pool, email [email protected] or call 02 9555 5711
Our NEW Legal /Business Support Team
It’s always exciting when a business that has been in operation for already 23 plus years continues to grow and soar to new heights. After only placing high level professional Legal roles, Jason Elias saw a gap in the market that needed to be filled, mainly fuelled by a clients’ need to now source Legal /Business Support roles that would support the Lawyers they were hiring. With a clear vision in mind Elias Recruitment approached Eva Wilson to assist in this very endeavour and for the last 6 months it’s proved to have been a fabulous decision. The success stems from Eva and Jason having a previous professional relationship for almost 12 years prior so the idea of bringing together two great recruitment minds was an obvious and successful business decision. So successful that the new Business Support division has already grown, adding another Consultant to the team. Ensuring success means we need to do things a little differently from the thousand plus agencies who operate in the same space and being unique and interesting in the way we recruit along with maintaining true professionalism is going to do just this. Let us introduce you to H.I.R.E (Human Intuitive Response Engagement). We really believe that every individual possesses a unique personality blueprint that defines their strengths, qualities, and potential. We can help you to decipher your future talent, ensuring a perfect alignment between your innate traits and the roles that you or they are destined to excel in. We are moving away from traditional guesswork and welcoming precision-guided recruitment by exploring what makes candidates tick, uncovering the perfect team dynamics and finding out what makes people thrive and achieve unparalleled harmony, communication, and innovation in the workplace. Professional astrology and wellness coaching meets cutting-edge talent acquisition strategies which can create an unparalleled synergy of personality alignment and corporate success. Eva Wilson has been recruiting for over 27 years working with some of the best. Her reputation exceeds that of others and the way she recruits and her ethos of ‘do no harm’ will always remain the same. She has earned her stripes and success in the industry by conducting herself in a professional way with a unique ability to really read people and their energies (she has been studying professional astrology for the last 5 years) but most importantly looking at everyone as an individual and unearthing their strengths which can ensure a deep sense of purpose and engagement. Briana Cowell has over 7 years Recruitment experience and 8 years working behind the scenes for a leading Recruitment software company. She brings with her a strong interest in Human Design evaluation and has an extraordinary ability to dive deep into what makes someone tick and how they can unlock their true talents and career aspirations. Both Eva and Briana bring a fresh and unique style to recruitment by combining their corporate and professional backgrounds with a holistic way of recruiting resulting in a much higher emotional intelligence with both candidates and clients alike. The world is in a constant state of evolution, and you need to keep up with such change. Our interview and client meetings can help you understand different influences, facilitating personal growth, and unlocking hidden potentials. Nurture a workforce that continuously evolves, adapts, and innovates. Embrace the future of recruitment by stepping into a new era of corporate recruitment, where holistic interviewing guides your business to unprecedented success. If you would like to find out more about H.I.R.E then please get in touch with Eva or Briana who would be more than happy to discuss. 02 9555 711
Elias Legal Jobs Index Report Q4 2022
The jobs market remains buoyant. 54% of HR leaders expect their headcount to grow and demand continues to outstrip supply in a candidate short market. The national unemployment rate is at a record low of 3.5% the lowest since 1974 and 1.7 points below March 2020 when the pandemic first struck. The highest areas of demand are in Banking and Finance, Corporate, Property, Insurance, Commercial Litigation and Employment law. Some trends we have observed are: Biggest jump in roles was insolvency, Increasing by up to 67% but from a small sample size so to be treated with a grain of salt. Insurance roles stayed consistently high this quarter A 79% decline in family roles The main level of hiring was at the mid associate / manager level, although reporting a slight drop from last quarter by 8%, whilst other roles at a lower seniority such as Junior Associates and managers rose by 30%. There were zero Director / Partner roles listed this quarter. Area Q3 FY22 Q4 FY22 % change Banking & Finance 43 47 9% Corporate / M&A 59 51 -14% Employment 35 37 6% Family 14 3 -79% In House 39 35 -10% Insurance / Reinsurance 45 45 0% Litigation / Dispute Resolution 49 48 -2% Real Estate 39 34 -13% Regulatory 20 21 5% Personal Injury 24 21 -13% Insolvency 3 5 67% Tax 9 7 -22% Technology 27 34 26% TOTAL 406 388 -4% Seniority Q3 FY22 Q4 FY22 % change Department / Div Head 4 6 50% Director / Partner 5 0 -100% Junior Associate / Manager 10 13 30% Mid Associate / Manager 276 255 -8% Snr Associate / Manager 163 157 -4% TOTAL 458 431 -6%
FY 21 wrap-up
I am writing this from lockdown in Sydney so how the latest outbreak affects business confidence is an unknown. Most lawyers I am speaking to are still very bullish and aggressively hiring and see the current outbreak as an inconvenient but temporary hiccup. We have noticed a few start dates being postponed and interviews moved to zoom but otherwise it is business as usual. The main changes from the January to March and April to June quarters are as follows: Biggest jumps in roles are regulatory and personal injury Double the number of family roles and close to double in employment roles 76 % increase in property roles 50% increase in insurance roles 47% increase in roles in Banking and Finance 25% increase in commercial litigation 12% increase in corporate roles 9% increase in tech roles There was a slight decline in tax and insolvency roles. The main levels of hiring were at associate level with a 42% increase in junior associate roles, 37% in mid-associate roles and 55% in senior associate roles. Jason Elias Founder and CEO of Elias Recruitment, a boutique legal recruitment consultancy that specialises in finding lawyers for law firms, NFPs, and corporate in-house teams. JOBS INDEX Q4 2021 Area Banking & Finance Q3 FY21 38 Q4 FY21 56 % change 47% Corporate / M&A 58 65 12% Employment 21 41 95% Family 4 8 100% In House 39 50 28% Insurance / Reinsurance 22 33 50% Litigation / Dispute Resolution 40 50 25% Real Estate 37 65 75% Regulatory 9 22 144% Personal Injury 24 53 121% Insolvency 6 5 -17% Tax 9 6 -33% Technology 34 37 9% TOTAL 341 491 44% Seniority Q3 FY21 Q4 FY21 % change Department / Div Head 11 7 -36% Director / Partner 2 4 100% Graduate / Entry 2 6 200% Junior Associate / Manager 52 74 42% Mid Associate / Manager 216 298 38% Snr Associate / Manager 142 220 55% Methodology: the Elias Legal Jobs Index is based from sample data extracted from Sydney and Melbourne law firm advertisements.
CONGRATULATIONS!: To all the 2020 WINNERS in the Australian Law Awards
The Elias Recruitment team would like to congratulate all of the WINNERS in this year’s Australian Law Awards. ABOUT THE AWARDS The Australian Law Awards is regarded as the industry’s most prestigious accolades recognising excellence across the entire legal industry. The awards pinpoint professional development and innovation, showcasing both the individuals and firms which are leading the way in the industry. Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with UNSW Law, is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Australian Law Awards. This year’s Australia Law Awards was held as a virtual event, broadcast from Sydney’s Four Seasons, on Friday, 7 August. The event, which marked its 20th year this year, celebrates the achievements of legal professionals across Australia – from private practice and in-house counsel, to those at the bar, academics and students. Over 30 winners were named at the 2020 Australian Law Awards, with recipients Zooming in over the broadcast platform to share a short speech on their success. “The unprecedented circumstances that we’ve found ourselves in over the past few months have been challenging without a doubt. The business of law has been forced to adapt, guiding clients through a new normal while undergoing changes to the way in which you operate on a [day-to-day] basis,” said editor Emma Ryan in her opening speech. “I know myself and the team at Lawyers Weekly have been thoroughly impressed with the efforts that have been made. [Everyday] we get to hear stories of those in every other segment that make up this important profession overcoming the headwinds and rising to the occasion – and that makes hosting an event like this that much more important to us.” 2020 WINNERS To see who made the cut, click here.
