When newly-qualified associate Vanisha* was mulling whether to accept an in-house job offer in 2020, a Magic Circle partner delivered a stark warning: “You’re making a big mistake. You should have more private practice experience before you leave – if you move in-house now, you’ll be bottom of the rank.”
Unsurprisingly, Vanisha was panicked. She took the in-house role anyway, but reflects that while the partner may have meant well and didn’t want her to “shortchange herself”, it served to perpetuate a longstanding stigma in law: that lawyers can’t leave private practice until they’re over five years qualified.
