Triangular chairs with a gleam of sun rays shining through.

New course opens opportunities to return to law as an in-house lawyer

Published on 17 April 2023

The Centre for Legal Leadership has partnered with the Reignite Academy to run a one-day course to provide opportunities for “career break” lawyers to relaunch in an in-house (commercial) lawyer role.

In-house lawyers can be a strategic business partner for corporates, whose work is varied and of vital importance to commercial organisations. Team it with comparable salaries, flexibility in terms of work/life balance and commonly no need for billable hours/time-recording – many people returning to law after a career break are viewing in-house roles as an attractive prospect.

Jeremy Drew, Head of Commercial and course ally at RPC says: "Moving in-house often requires a shift from being a specialist to a generalist – which can be daunting without the right support. Attendees will benefit from learning from those who have made the transition and lawyers who for decades have worked with in-house lawyers in various sectors, at varying levels of seniority. This exposure, the workshops and time for one-on-one discussion will furnish attendees the insight and tools to move in-house, if that's what's right for them."

Event speakers include Elaine Hutton, who trained at Clifford Chance and became a General Counsel at Apple, Channel 4 Television and Freemantle Media and Luscinia Brown-Hovelt, who trained as a Corporate Lawyer at Hogan Lovells before spending time as a legal counsel in the retail and hospitality sector.

The day is broken into modules that expose attendees to:

  • The myths and expectations versus reality of being an in-house lawyer;
  • What it means to be a commercial business partner;
  • The breadth of topics an in-house lawyer is expected to cover;
  • A deep dive into the fundamentals of any commercial contract; and
  • How to make it work in practice.

Lisa Unwin, Co-Founder of the Reignite Academy adds: "The value of spending time with people who have walked a similar path to that you're thinking of taking, is immeasurable. Post-event we expect attendees to have formed valuable connections which will see them not only make the right decision for their situation, but to be highly successful in making the transition."

Date and time: May 2, 2023, 10am – 4pm (BST)

Location: RPC, Tower Bridge House, St. Katharine's Way, London E1W 1AA

Cost: £99

Registration: Eventbrite