In-house counsel can be a great route for individuals who still want to practice law, but don’t want to deal with the the headaches and pressures that often go along with private practice such as billable hours, new business development and having little to no work / life balance.

In addition to avoiding all of these aspects of private practice, in-house counsel positions usually give you the opportunity to gain valuable exposure to non-legal aspects of the company such as strategy, operations and business development.  These skills can come in handy down the road if you eventually decide to transition into a non-legal career.

Best of all, Above the Law recently reported that in-house counsel often pay more than most lawyers are led to believe!

The post cites a recent report stating that average in-house counsel compensation is $236,000, with General Counsel and Chief Legal Officers often making in excess of $700,000.