I’m a Fun Sponge

It’s been a whole year since I took the plunge and went in-house, and I have no regrets. After spending most of my career in private practice as a real estate lawyer, I was ready for a change. I had worked for both regional and international-sized firms, learning the ropes and billing my hours day in day out, but it felt like the time was right for a fresh start. It all happened very quickly, as it often does in our industry. Within weeks of making my decision to leave, I landed a legal counsel role at a UK FTSE250 sized private family owned business which has operations ranging from agricultural land ownership (including almost 200 farms) to housing and development, and restaurant and retail.

So why am I a “Fun Sponge”? Well, in-house counsel are often the bearers of bad news, telling those in the business “no” when their ideas go against contracts or regulations. We have to be the pragmatic voice soaking up all the fun with our legal recommendations. Hence, “fun sponge” – a nickname lovingly bestowed to in-house counsel as we carefully balance business opportunities with legal risk avoidance. We wear the tag with wry pride.  

The role of an in-house counsel has been a pleasant adjustment and here are just a few ways my work-life has changed.

My client relationships aren’t as ‘transactional’

In private practice, I primarily interacted with clients when handling specific deals only. Complete this acquisition, resolve that issue in the lease, move onto the next matter. My relationships sometimes felt automated and transactional in nature.

Now that I am in-house, I work with my internal ’clients’—the leadership team across all of our businesses daily. Whilst most of my deals are still transactional, like reviewing a lease for a new restaurant or assisting with various aspects of an M&A, I can be looped in for big picture strategy talks, which is exciting and definitely broadens my perspective. I have closer ties with the directors of the business as my ‘clients’ now than I did when in private practice and therefore my relationships now revolve around broader objectives rather than ‘just transactions’. 

I went from advising multiple ‘unknown’ clients to fewer ‘known’ clients

In my old law firm, I acted for dozens of different real estate clients across industries like healthcare, industrial and hospitality and it was usual for the partners to handle the client relationship. Dealing with a £30m site acquisition for one of the UK’s largest engineering companies or assisting with the refinance of a portfolio of 20 distribution sites was great legal experience, but I was often sat back end churning out the documents in the corner of the office.

Now, I have just one client. The business. But the various subsidiaries keep me very busy with their expansive business interests! So, while my client base has shrunk, the scope of my work definitely hasn’t.  Being involved with drafting and negotiating the initial terms for deals gives me greater commercial awareness and a better understanding of the business priorities and objectives. Being brought in early to shape deal terms rather than just reviewing final contracts provides tremendous visibility into what motivates different projects. Now, I gain a deeper insight into the key business goals and growth strategies driving transactions. Additionally, being embedded in one organisation means more people across the business know me and aren’t afraid to contact me for legal advice.

My advice has gone from risk-averse to commercially focused

In private practice, I was really conservative in my legal advice to clients to avoid potential liability or complaints. But now, in-house, the business genuinely wants commercial growth—with exposure to the risk but in a way to push the commercial boundaries within legal constraints.  

Now my advice involves looking at the breadth of documents and exploring new ways to mitigate risks. The role of in-house lawyers is usually less about the legal advice and instead more focused on what the practical steps should be. It’s scary to move beyond black and white legal guidance, but this shift takes me beyond my traditional legal role and makes me feel more invested in finding solutions to advance the business.

So one year in, life as an in-house counsel has been an adjustment—but in really positive ways! Transitioning to a more commercial approach has kept me on my toes. For any junior lawyers considering going in-house, I’d advise that being open minded and willing to shift your legal perspective is key. You’ll need to brush up on your business and commercial acumen as you’ll need to fully understand the business you’re going into so you can understand the full context behind deals, not just the legal details.

If you’re looking for deeper client relationships, variety of work, and better hours, I say go for the in-house move! Just be ready to wear the fun sponge hat once in a while.

By Priya Bissoonauth, CSR Representative of Birmingham Solicitors’ Group and Legal Counsel at Boparan Private Office