How to become an In-house lawyer

Becoming an In-House Lawyer

As legal specialists, in-house lawyers are hired to protect the interests of the company and its employees. Their main role is keeping a company compliant with its legal obligations and they are also responsible for dealing with commercial and employment contract litigations.

What is an In-house Lawyer’s role?

The In-house Lawyer has a strategic role within the company, whether it be a large group or a small or medium-sized business.

Working closely with the finance department and/or general management, they may also call upon the services of external corporate lawyers or legal consultants.

They are also responsible for assessing the risks of commercial, financial and technical operations and coming up with the most advantageous legal solutions for the company. To do so, they must remain legally vigilant and continue to draft reports that are in keeping with the company's objectives.

In a small company, a lawyer will be asked to undertake a broad range of legal actions; in a large group, they are more often specialized in a specific domain of activity such as consumer law, tax law, corporate law or even competition law. In large legal departments, In-house Lawyers report to the Legal Director, who oversees all decision-making processes involving legal matters.

What skills and qualities should an In-house Lawyer have?

• Enjoy teamwork
• Negotiation skills
• Thorough and concise with strong analytical capacities
• Advanced legal knowledge
• Good at keeping up with new legislations
• Proficient in English

What is the typical salary of an In-house Lawyer?

The salary of an in-house lawyer varies: it depends on the size of the company, the sector and the legal expert’s specialization. As a junior, they can earn between €25K to €30K per year.

What qualifications do you need to become an In-house Lawyer?

Train to become an in-house lawyer in 3 years by enrolling in our Bachelor of Law and Management degree. This combines the best training provided by the UCLy Faculty of Law, ESDES Lyon Business School and the BA in Law & Business Management at Maynooth University. During these 3 years of study, you will be taught the main legal principles, business law concepts and the basic principles of management. In your third year of study, you will get to spend 1 year at Maynooth University campus, near Dublin, where you will experience student life on an international campus in a major European university. Students coming from over 90 different countries study at this welcoming campus that is renowned for its warm hospitality. Our staff will be happy to help you prepare for your departure and your arrival in Ireland.
Maynooth University ranked among the top 100 of the world’s youngest universities, as published by the Times Higher Education.

Students are advised to continue their specialization, further develop their skills and gain additional work experience by enrolling in the ESDES Master’s in Digital Law and Management for 2 additional years. This will allow you to graduate with an EFMD accredited Master’s degree and a "Digital Law and Data Management" degree from the Faculty of Law.
This specialization is available as a full-time study program and also taught 100% in English.