Can you have your own firm while working in house? Forum

(On Campus Interviews, Summer Associate positions, Firm Reviews, Tips, ...)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous User
Posts: 428108
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:14 pm

Let's say you work for Google in house as a general lit associate. Can you also have your side business for SEC/securities litigation defense? Or is this prohibited by some rules?

This hypothetical takes place in CA.

BasilHallward

Silver
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:19 pm

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by BasilHallward » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:40 pm

Good luck pulling this off.
Last edited by QContinuum on Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: De-anoned at poster's request.

s1m4

Bronze
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:04 pm

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by s1m4 » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:55 pm

I have seen this with seniors I interviewed with at smaller firms (like someone will be in house counsel, and then also of-counsel at the firm I interviewed with), so I think so, dont let the naysayer above dissuade you, look for people like that on linkedin and do your own research.

User avatar
BeeTeeZ

Bronze
Posts: 203
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 5:26 am

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by BeeTeeZ » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:02 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Let's say you work for Google in house as a general lit associate. Can you also have your side business for SEC/securities litigation defense? Or is this prohibited by some rules?

This hypothetical takes place in CA.
In this hypothetical situation, assuming it's possible, when/how would you make time for your clients and court appearances? Clients, courts, and Google would require your attention during normal business hours, so at the very least this seems impractical.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428108
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:08 pm

BeeTeeZ wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Let's say you work for Google in house as a general lit associate. Can you also have your side business for SEC/securities litigation defense? Or is this prohibited by some rules?

This hypothetical takes place in CA.
In this hypothetical situation, assuming it's possible, when/how would you make time for your clients and court appearances? Clients, courts, and Google would require your attention during normal business hours, so at the very least this seems impractical.
I would likely do part time in both, with another partner at the firm.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


User avatar
BeeTeeZ

Bronze
Posts: 203
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 5:26 am

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by BeeTeeZ » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
BeeTeeZ wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Let's say you work for Google in house as a general lit associate. Can you also have your side business for SEC/securities litigation defense? Or is this prohibited by some rules?

This hypothetical takes place in CA.
In this hypothetical situation, assuming it's possible, when/how would you make time for your clients and court appearances? Clients, courts, and Google would require your attention during normal business hours, so at the very least this seems impractical.
I would likely do part time in both, with another partner at the firm.

Thanks for everyone's replies.
I understand your reasoning to be part-time + part-time = full time. But what happens if/when Google requires you to be at A location and do B work at the same time a client requires you to be at X location and do Y work? It seems likely that such a conflict would arise at some point, even if both roles are part-time. How would you handle it?

ringdabell

New
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:43 pm

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by ringdabell » Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:18 pm

your employment contract will in almost all cases prohibit this
Last edited by QContinuum on Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Outed for anon abuse.

BasilHallward

Silver
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:19 pm

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by BasilHallward » Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:47 pm

Anonymous User wrote:your employment contract will in almost all cases prohibit this

Apologies for the anon. I was the original naysayer who responded first to OP. And the above was my point. Google will almost certainly not allow this. It just seems wildly impractical. But YOLO

User avatar
nealric

Moderator
Posts: 4273
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:53 am

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by nealric » Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:27 am

I suspect this would be grounds for termination at most places. You run the risk of significant conflicts of interest, both in the technical legal sense and in the broader sense of trying to serve multiple masters.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


FND

Bronze
Posts: 357
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 2:23 pm

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by FND » Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:05 pm

I've known people to do it, both at a junior level (recent grad) and a senior level (former biglaw partner). Plenty of attorneys are part-time general counsel our outside general counsel to several companies.
On that same note, a classmate of mine right out of law school was doing midlaw while also having his own business (that was most certainly legal-related, bar passage required kind of work)

The quick answer is that it depends on the company. Smaller companies will be a lot more amenable to it than a Fortune 500 type company.

User avatar
nealric

Moderator
Posts: 4273
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:53 am

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by nealric » Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:18 pm

FND wrote: Plenty of attorneys are part-time general counsel our outside general counsel to several companies.
That's very different. It's really the same thing as just practicing general corporate law at a firm. "Outside general counsel" is mostly a marketing thing for such attorneys who are looking for a steady stream of business in exchange for pre-negotiated rates. No company who is bringing you on as a full time W-2 employee is likely to be happy with you running an unrelated law practice.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428108
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Can you have your own firm while working in house?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:22 pm

nealric wrote:
FND wrote: Plenty of attorneys are part-time general counsel our outside general counsel to several companies.
That's very different. It's really the same thing as just practicing general corporate law at a firm. "Outside general counsel" is mostly a marketing thing for such attorneys who are looking for a steady stream of business in exchange for pre-negotiated rates. No company who is bringing you on as a full time W-2 employee is likely to be happy with you running an unrelated law practice.
full time W-2 probably not. part-time, K-1 or 1099? usually not a big deal

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Legal Employment”