______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Recruitment
may reduce, but broader incentives such as equity participation, long-term incentive plans, and meaningful leadership opportunities can narrow the salary gap over time. An in-house career can also provide exposure to boards, executive committees, and strategic decision-making that may not otherwise come until much later in a lawyer’ s career.
Back to private practice
Perhaps the more interesting development in recent years is movement in the opposite direction.
Senior in-house lawyers, including former General Counsel, are now being considered for partnership at top law firms. Their value goes beyond technical expertise; they bring commercial credibility. Former in-house leaders know how clients choose advisers, how legal services are bought, and what sets great external counsel apart.
Partnership still calls for business development and the ability to build a sustainable practice. Firms are looking beyond technical skills to candidates who can articulate a compelling reason for returning to private practice and demonstrate the commercial drive to succeed.
What the market says
The real story isn’ t about the number of moves; it’ s about the direction. Major, Lindsey & Africa’ s market data shows that moves from senior inhouse roles back to private practice are still a small part of overall lateral hiring, but they’ re rising each year.
From a private practice perspective, we are seeing firms become increasingly receptive to candidates who combine technical expertise with deep sector knowledge, commercial credibility and first-hand client experience. This is especially true in sectors like AI and data centers. While it’ s a slow shift, as opposed to a dramatic one, it reflects a broader recognition that legal careers are becoming more fluid on both sides of the Atlantic.
Legal careers grow fluid
The best lawyers in private practice and in-house increasingly share the same traits: commercial judgment, adaptability, relationship-building, and the ability to explain complex issues clearly.
Private practice builds analytical discipline and technical depth, while in-house roles develop institutional knowledge, commercial prioritization, and accountability for business results. Neither is more demanding; they just build different skills.
As legal careers get longer and less linear, movement between private practice and inhouse teams will likely become more common. Organizations now value lawyers who combine technical excellence with commercial judgment, and law firms see the strategic benefit of partners who know life from the client’ s side.
We believe the profession benefits from more movement between private practice and inhouse legal teams. The best lawyers combine the discipline of private practice with the commercial perspective gained in-house; these experiences complement each other. Businesses get advisers who understand commercial realities, while law firms gain partners who truly know how clients make decisions and what they value from outside counsel.
As legal careers evolve, the breadth of experience a lawyer brings may soon matter just as much as the path they took to get it. ■
Major, Lindsey & Africa www. mlaglobal. com
Major, Lindsey & Africa is the world’ s leading legal search firm, founded in 1982, with 27 offices and 200-plus consultants serving law firms and corporations globally.
Nathan Peart is Executive Director of the Associate Practice Group at Major, Lindsey & Africa, the global legal recruitment specialist, where he provides market intelligence on Big Law hiring, compensation and lateral moves.
Elena Bajada is Managing Director leading Major, Lindsey & Africa’ s EMEA in-house counsel practice, advising General Counsel and legal leaders on hiring, retention and leadership development across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
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