qLegal recently hosted its first in-house panel event, exclusive to qLegal extern students. The panel included experienced and established in-house lawyers from a variety of companies. We welcomed Janet Nikova (Benevolent AI), Sophie Cole (Hargreaves Lansdown), Julia Bonder-Le Berre (Iron Mountain), Benil Salgin (Bloomberg LP) and Anthony Kenny (GCK).
qLegal alumnus and trainee at Wiggin LLP, Hamuzah Mawanda, was also in attendance and provided externs with insight into qualification in the UK and strengthening client relationships.
There was no shortage of knowledge and insights from the panellists. Throughout the Q&A session, qLegal externs were treated to specific, well-thought through advice drawn from personal experience. The panellists emphasised the importance of soft skills, private practice experience and secondment opportunities as key elements in becoming a successful in-house lawyer. The students were given the advice to ‘become an expert on your client’ because of the deep relationship an in-house position entails. They also highlighted the need to be an ‘advocate for the law’ in companies that are reluctant to invest in the legal department. The differences between in-house and private practice work were accentuated.
The most notable differences highlighted were the type of client, the variety of work and the team structure. Commercial awareness and developing a holistic understanding of the business is also key. The panellists advised the externs on how to present legal issues to a non-legal audience, largely by focusing on customer experience, by referring to cautionary tales and by tailoring the advice to the audience. The Q&A ended with stimulating advice not to ‘avoid a crisis’, but instead ‘view crises as opportunities to course correct and differentiate yourself from other people’.
After the Q&A, externs were invited to discuss a practical learning scenario with the panellists. The scenarios were based on challenges externs typically face during their externships. This panel event was the first in a series of exclusive events for externs and will provide them with additional career support whilst completing their externship placements.