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Ask HN: Room for a Lawyer at Your Company?

• throwaway210203 6y ago
  I too am a lawyer/former sysadmin that has been searching for similar and ... theres not much. The problem as I see it: 1) your breadth of skills really applies best in small business as a bigger business will compartmentalize you (either lawyer or sysadmin); 2) your price tag is going to be problematic for small businesses. I have channeled my effort into executive level positions in smaller companies that are targets of Private Equity. Previously GC/COO at 50 person company, now CIO AT 250 person company. I literally did everything at the 50 person company and, while stressful, it was fantastic. The 250 person company has compartmentalized me to the point that I still have to send my contracts to our lawyer for review. And I’m still on 3+ hour long conference calls with no end in sight.
  • tldrthelaw 6y ago
    Woof, I feel you. I have done the small business/bigger business calculation a million times as I obsessively scroll through LinkedIn and Indeed jobs. Your trajectory info is helpful, thank you. Hang in there. Unless you're on the other end of this conference call ... in which case, hang up! :-)
    • throwaway210203 6y ago
      One other thing to think about is that once you leave private practice, you’re probably never going to be allowed back. I only know one attorney that went in-house and went back to private practice successfully, and that was because the firm she worked for prior to going in-house wooed her back and she is still “part time GC” for the client. I’d also avoid the private equity targets. I’ve been working under private equity through two separate acquisitions of family owned companies, and the cultures do not mesh well. Private equity will always win.
      • tldrthelaw 6y ago
        I have kind of a weird amalgam of niches, and I'm already 3 years removed from my last firm job -- just been doing contract work in the interim. I think, probably, if the door to private practice is to be closed it has been closed already for me. My issue, to the extent I can identify it, is really that my niches and interests (within law) fit best at a level that I don't have the professional experience to warrant even an interview for. Thanks for the tip, I'll keep my eyes peeled for PE and be weary.
• zn44 6y ago
  Definitely, we've hired a general counsel after Series B funding when scaling the team rapidly. Frankly i wasn't sure if we need them at the time, i didn't even know what GC are supposed to do ;). But it turned out to be one of the best hires we've made. He's been great asset on all things legal and compliance but also very business focused and contributed on a lot of non legal related projects.
  • tldrthelaw 6y ago
    Interesting! That is pretty early on, but almost certainly the right move (though I am biased). Can I ask, where did you hire them from? What considerations did you make when choosing them? Just wondering what selection criteria non-law folks use for choosing law folks. Thanks again, appreciate it. Good luck!
• jseven 6y ago
  Check out blook.io and let me know if you're interested in scaling that with us
  • tldrthelaw 6y ago
    Very interested, how can I contact you?
• leandot 6y ago
  Having a good lawyer around is always useful in my view.