The benefits of going in house

I am currently working full time as an in-house adviser within the legal department of an online credit brokerage firm. After joining the business in its relatively early stages, it has continued to grow and has recently secured a lot more investment – my LPC sponsorship has come about as a rather pleasant surprise!

Part of what attracted me to the in-house role was the diverse nature of what I would be expected to deal with. As with the majority of in-house legal advisers, partnership agreements and non-disclosure agreements form a big part of what I am expected to undertake day to day. However, due to the online nature of the business, there is also a significant focus on IP issues. I have found this particularly interesting, especially as I have never worked in this field before. I also have to keep up to date with the laws on credit licensing and online data protection.

In addition to the legal side of things, I am in charge of the company's social media presence. In my initial interview, I found out that the firm had been doing a little digging and discovered my personal blog. They were impressed and offered me the chance to take on the firms' blog and social media accounts. It makes a nice change to be able to switch over and relax through my writing, particularly after a long day of negotiation.

As far as the future is concerned, I am undecided as to where I might head next. My only real objective is to build on the knowledge I already possess to further my involvement with the business. I am not saying that a training contract is out of the question, and I may get the urge to apply at some point, but I feel particularly content here (especially with the new investment and exciting opportunities that are due to emerge).

Like so many law grads, I am keeping my options open and keeping an eye out for any "unmissable" opportunities that might arise. Despite the obvious advantages to be gained through the traditional route of obtaining a training contract, I definitely think that the business experience I have gained while working in house has been priceless and will help me if I do eventually decide to pursue a career in commercial law.

To any aspiring lawyers out there, I would highly recommend taking on an in-house role if you get the chance, as the opportunities it provides will prove invaluable regardless of what your future career looks like.

Sarah Parry works in house at a brokerage firm specialising in IP law. She will start the LLM/LPC course (part-time) at the University of Law's Manchester centre in September 2013.