Malcolm Haack, general counsel at the Australia-headquartered chemicals company Orica, says the skill level of in-house lawyers has evolved significantly in the 25 years he’s practiced law, and the general perception that corporate counsel are the poor cousins to lawyers in private practice is no longer valid.

In fact, Haack, who has worked both in-house and in private practice, says companies in Australia are doing more work in-house rather than sending it to outside counsel—both to keep costs down and to get better value.