Career Advice Columns

Mike Evers writes a monthly career advice column for the online edition of Corporate Counsel, and for many years contributed to Inside Counsel.

Most Recent Corporate Counsel Columns

September 09, 2019 – Zombie Apocalypse Preparation — I have no idea what is coming around the bend. No one ever really does; they just have opinions. Can an in-house lawyer prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse just in case? Answer: Yes, especially if you don’t … Read More
August 08, 2019 – Go Around Human Resources — Let’s say you want to join the fictitious in-house legal department at Acme Corp. Either Acme has an active opening in its legal department, or it does not. What follows is a “how to” approach for each scenario … Read More
July 15, 2019 – Tips When Hiring Nonlocal Lawyers — We’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out who is willing to pull the trigger on such a major life change. That assessment is just as important as matching … Read More
June 04, 2019 – What’s the Best Fit for Startups? The Entrepreneurial GC — I love working on in-house positions with startups, especially first general counsel hires. And recent work has emphasized a request we often hear from clients in fast growth mode: “Get us candidates who are entrepreneurial.” … Read More
May 08, 2019 – Play Offense With Your Career — Leading food supplier Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently announced its intention to offer early retirement packages and make some modest adjustments to its workforce by June 30. I think it is unlikely that ADM’s legal department will … Read More
April 04, 2019 – The Weed GC: Culture Fit Matters — I just took my search firm’s first order within the cannabis industry, a general counsel role for a leading grower of legal marijuana. Interest in the role is high (OK, the puns are easy!), but I’ve already rejected one of my favorite candidates … Read More
March 07, 2019 – It’s Hiring Season! Now Is the Best Time to Find Talent — As Dan Clark reported for Corporate Counsel, legal recruiters are engaged to fill a broad range of in-house roles. I’m going to expand on that here, and offer my thoughts on the best practices your law department should consider this hiring season … Read More
February 06, 2019 – Street Lawyering at Your Company—It’s Really Not a Bad Idea — Wills, divorces, consumer credit problems, landlord disputes and traffic violations all have two things in common. One, handling such matters is firmly outside your job description. Two, if you are in-house with a large company, your rank and file co-workers in the field are dealing with personal … Read More
January 08, 2019 – In-House Counsel: Become a ‘Yes, And’ Businessperson in the New Year — I debate the editor of my search firm’s newsletter quite a bit over the following three words: lawyer, attorney and counselor. For no logical reason, I’m not a big fan of … Read More
December 04, 2018 – The Dream GC Job — In my view, joining Facebook now as its general counsel is the ultimate dream job for any experienced in-house attorney. Corporate Counsel reporter Caroline Spiezio wrote a story last month about the search for Facebook’s next General Counsel. She asked several … Read More
November 01, 2018 – Beware of Making Partner — My advice for early career law firm attorneys who envision themselves in a law department: Move at the mid to senior associate level … Read More
September 10, 2018 – Law Department Talent Pipeline: Evolving? — My role as a recruiter for corporate law departments is pretty straightforward: Bring specifically qualified candidates to bear, assess culture fit, and provide a short list of the best options. We are usually working at the 7-plus … Read More
August 06, 2018 – Find a Truth Teller — The most honest and helpful constructive criticism often comes from mentors, friends and outside resources (including recruiters!), people who only want success and happiness for you. … Read More
July 05, 2018 – Should an In-House Attorney Get an MBA? — This column addresses a very specific question, which I have been asked repeatedly over the years: Should an in-house attorney get an MBA? … Read More
June 05, 2018 – GCs: How to Manage New Hire Expectations — The results from the 2018 Career Satisfaction survey for in-house counsel make it abundantly clear that most of you crave upward mobility. … Read More
May 03, 2018 – Sourcing Your Next Great Hire — Attention general counsel: When you have an opening to fill, are you sure that the person you really want to hire even knows you are hiring? … Read More
April 05, 2018 – Typos Are Tolerated When the Deadline for Everything Is Now — Today, I expect typos. On resumes! From attorneys who graduated from Top 20 law schools. It may surprise you that the worst offenders are not unemployed lawyers with below market pedigree … Read More
March 07, 2018 – 10 Tips for the New GC Hired From Outside — Congratulations! You have just been hired as the new general counsel of Awesome, Inc. You are new to the company, the CEO is excited to have you on her team, and so you are starting the job with a … Read More
February 02, 2018 – What Makes an In-House Career Satisfying? It’s Not About the Money — Compensation matters. But while everyone knows that a select group of general counsel are paid handsomely, the fact remains that “BigLaw” law firm attorneys make more versus most of their experience-level counterparts in-house … Read More
January 09, 2018 – Tips from GCs to Aspiring GCs — Nothing beats hearing directly from successful professionals who have been where you want to go. I appreciate the ongoing opportunity to connect with in-house counsel via this column, and I frequently offer my two cents on strategy and marketability for readers who want to sit in a General Counsel chair down the road … Read Moren to a resume and our candidate assessment, clients always ask us to provide current compensation information. It’s common practice, as no company wants to spend time interviewing an attorney who would ultimately reject its best offer. And although many attorneys bristle with reluctance … Read More