The politics of prioritization for in-house counsel
For corporate in-house counsel pulled in multiple directions by daily demands, prioritization is everything.
Every business person thinks their request is the most important thing that needs to be done – right now. You might feel like barking “take a number” – and there are apps to help legal departments do precisely that.
However, the manner in which you prioritize your workload can have profound consequences on your performance and the way you are perceived at work. So, how can you improve your ability to prioritize effectively?
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Move things off your plate
If you’re lucky enough to have a team to delegate to, first on your list should be to see which things you can assign to others. There may also be requests more appropriately handled by another department, in which case you can helpfully refer the requestor to the right person.
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Dig into deadlines
What’s in a deadline? Is there a regulatory deadline at play? A contractual deadline? A board or committee deadline? A quarter or year end deadline? Or, is the deadline entirely made up? Not all deadlines are created equal.
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Calibrate risks
Not all risks are created equal either. With experience, you will get a sense of which things might blow up and which things can probably simmer.
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Manage relationships
If you were getting the same tasks over and over again from the same sets of people, asking people to take a queue number could be an answer.
However, more often than not, in-house counsel get a variety of different kinds of requests from people who perform all sorts of functions – and of varying seniority.
Understanding spheres of influence and building a solid base of trust are critical when responding to various kinds of requests. If you manage relationships in advance, it will be easier to have conversations about coming to joint understandings on timelines for specific asks. The goal here is to leave stakeholders feeling properly served.
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Go back to first principles
What is the purpose of your role or function? How are you meant to perform it? Remembering first principles can help you prioritize which things are “musts” and which things are “nice to haves,” right now.
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Laying the groundwork and leveraging the right skills will make you a pro at prioritizing in a busy environment. Smart prioritization allows you not just to make your workday manageable, it can also help you shape your reputation at work.
Apr 2025 | Mia Watanabe
Want to know more about how to calibrate risks and define the first principles of your role? Check out our on-demand course, ImpactEdge. Coming soon: InfluencingEdge, on building relationships at work.
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Going in-house: a whole new way of lawyering
Are you considering going in-house? A career as corporate in-house counsel can be a rewarding one, in which you can make an impact from early on in your legal career. Working alongside non-lawyers towards a common goal can be varied, fun, and give you a sense of purpose.
As for the day to day, just like law firm lawyers, corporate in-house counsel advise clients and draft legal documents. However, the similarities end there. How successful in-house counsel approach their roles is vastly different from law firm lawyers and requires a distinct skill set. Here are some factors to consider if you’re thinking of going in-house.
1 - Singularity
Law firm lawyers have multiple clients; in-house counsel have only one – which is also their employer. While law firm lawyers may work for different associates and partners in a firm, in-house counsel reports to one manager (although in some cases there may be multiple managers).
This singularity - one client, one manager - makes relationship building with both absolutely critical for in-house counsel.
The aim of in-house counsel is also singular: to advance the interests of its client. This can be very rewarding as you work alongside your client with a common purpose. This is different from law firm lawyers, who have the interests of their firms to consider.
2 - Skill set
There’s no singularity, on the other hand, when it comes to the kinds of things in-house counsel have to deal with on a daily basis.
Law firm lawyers are expected to be deep domain experts. They are fundamentally judged on their technical knowledge and capabilities, and on the revenues they bring in for their firms.
On the other hand, corporate in-house counsel are generally broader in their coverage area. While in-house lawyers are expected to have an understanding of the laws applicable to their business and possess drafting skills, they are often able to rely on law firms as well as, increasingly, other legal services providers and automated solutions, to provide technical expertise.
In-house counsel do not drum up any revenues whatsoever: in fact, in-house counsel are a cost to their organisations. With no numbers to look at, in-house counsel are instead judged primarily on how their client, their organization, perceives them.
This results in in-house counsel needing an entirely different set of skills from that of law firm lawyers, in order to be successful.
3 - Structure
Law firm structures are usually fairly simple, and advancement is automatic until a certain level. On the other hand, corporate structures can be all sorts, and advancement is not guaranteed.
This creates challenges but also opportunities for in-house counsel, as lawyers who can be effective, manage relationships and navigate their organizations successfully can have a varied and rewarding career.
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Going in-house can be an opportunity to learn a whole new way of lawyering. For the right person, the skills required are fun to acquire and can lead to a fulfilling career.
Mar 2025 | Mia Watanabe
Want to know more about how to manage other people's perceptions of you as in-house counsel? Check out our on-demand course, ImpactEdge. Coming soon: InfluencingEdge, on building relationships with the people critical to your success.
Why I became an instructor for CounselEdge
Hear why instructor Mia Watanabe decided to teach in-house counsel the skills to thrive in an organization
Hidden blockers to your promotion as in-house counsel
After a couple of years of experience as corporate in-house counsel, you’ve got a hang of the technical parts of your job and you’ve had some positive year end reviews. So how come you haven’t been promoted?
Consider these potential blockers to your promotion that no one might be telling you about:
You haven’t shifted from “law firm lawyer mode” to “in-house counsel mode”
Many in-house lawyers start out as law firm lawyers. The transition to advising internal – as opposed to external – clients requires a change in approach. Working for the organisation you advise requires you to be at once the risk manager and the execution person for your business: a challenging dichotomy to navigate well.
You haven’t articulated why you should be promoted
In order to secure your promotion, your boss has to go tell his or her boss why you should be promoted. What will they say? Promotion doesn’t automatically come with tenure. You need to equip your manager with the rationales and justifications for your promotion.
You haven’t mastered the art of getting to “yes”
Saying “no” is easy when an internal client comes to you with something that doesn’t quite fit with the legal framework you’re working with. Instead, a good in-house lawyer is able to think outside the box to come up with some alternatives that may work.
You don’t own your own domain
When you’re able to respond to internal clients without having to go check with someone first, then you start to look like an expert. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should answer every question without escalation and take inappropriate risks; it simply means that you should focus on a few key things that you’re eventually able to master. When internal clients see you as the go to person for these areas, you can then ask to take on more.
You aren't visible to senior people
Being promoted often means you’ll have more senior stakeholders. Senior people need to see you as a credible advisor and partner in advancing their objectives. If you do great things but no one knows about you or what you have accomplished, it’s going to be hard for them to visualize you in that role.
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You may be lucky enough to have a boss or mentor who tells you exactly what you need to do to get promoted. If you do everything you’re told and you still aren’t promoted, or you’re having a hard time reading between the lines with vague guidance, these promotion blockers may be something to consider before the next chat with your manager on the topic.
Feb 2025 | Mia Watanabe
Check out our on-demand course, ImpactEdge, on how to define your role, grow your reputation and get to “yes.”