This piece from Mark Roellig, senior client advisor with Perkins Coie’s Client Advantage team, began as a much longer article co-authored with Sarah Kalgaard, GC of Vital Images, for the Association of Corporate Counsel, about 10 things to consider in transitioning to an in-house role. In “Emotional Intelligence Matters,” Roellig calls on lawyers transitioning to in-house roles to shuck their perfectionist tendencies. “You do not need to be a great legal expert to be a great in-house lawyer,” says Roellig, “In private practice, you are paid by the hour, and the expectation is perfection in every aspect. For example, at a law firm, never send a memo to a client with a typo. A mistake is unacceptable. In the in-house counsel’s world, it is a little more ‘messy.’ The amount of information, effort and precision to employ takes judgment – your judgment and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) will likely be more valued than your IQ and legal knowledge.” Read more about the downside of perfection at Association of Corporate Counsel.
Published September 7, 2021.
