Episode 78-Transitioning to General Counsel-Career Lessons from a Litigator

Counsel to Counsel - Career Advice for Lawyers

I speak to a lot of lawyers who are interested in moving into in-house roles. While not every in-house lawyer is happy leaving private practice, on the whole, I find that the in-house lawyers I meet have higher levels of career satisfaction. In-house lawyers generally don’t keep track of their time, at least not in the same way. And while the hours can still be demanding, lawyers who work in corporate law departments often have more predictability.

In-house lawyers also enjoy having an ongoing relationship with a client that they get to know on a deeper level. And for many in-house counsel, being the company lawyer means the opportunity to participate in more business decisions.

The path to in-house is clear for corporate lawyers. Employment attorneys also have a relatively easy time moving in-house. But for litigators, the path is less obvious.

In this episode, I speak with Evan Slavitt, a former litigator who has some great advice for litigators looking to go in-house. I recently reconnected with Evan after many years and after we spoke for a while about his experience as a General Counsel. I quickly realized that I had to have him on the show.

EVAN is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for KYOCERA AVX Components Corporation in South Carolina. Before joining AVX, Evan spent many years in private practice where he concentrated on complex commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense. He also did a stint at the US Attorney’s office in Boston in the 1980’s. I met him during that time when I was a law student working as a clerk in that office. Evan can be reached at [e-mail],