Secondment in the legal industry is when a lawyer is assigned to work directly for a client at a client’s office. Secondment can be either full time or part time depending on the client’s needs and the firm’s arrangement with the client. Typically a client will pay a fixed fee to have the seconded attorney on site, although again this can depend on the firm’s arrangement with the client and may be structured as a reduced rate in the attorney’s billable rate. A seconded attorney typically does the same work that the in-house lawyers do, be it project based (ex: the client is preparing for an IPO) or group specific (ex: the client needs extra help in the corporate group to meet the every day demands).
Secondment is a valuable opportunity for all parties. The firm is able to meet the needs of a client. The client is able to get a seasoned lawyer’s assistance for a period of time. The lawyer is able to develop new skills and build relationships. Everyone wins.
Legal life has taken a turn for me and I am currently on full time secondment. I will be writing about my experiences on secondment as well as posting on instagram fun photos of this great opportunity. Instagram: corptrends, #secondmentshorty. I’m excited about this new opportunity and will be sharing tips for law firm attorneys to provide better service with my new in-house knowledge, as well as general observations about in-house life.