Deciding whether to move in-house holds a number of pros and cons, according to Jill Wong, special counsel for Mallesons Stephen Jaques, based in Hong Kong. “The difference between in-house and private practice is that in-house you support the business, whereas in a law firm you are the business,” she said. The decision is also complicated by the large variety of in-house organisations to choose from, according to her.

For example, choosing between a domestic Hong Kong based company and a large MNC, or an industry role which is regional and widely focused or specialised and mainly domestic can raise other questions: “It depends on what stage in their careers people are…it’s also quite personal. Working for an MNC, for example, doesn’t necessarily mean you will always have a regional role where you’re not limited to Hong Kong. For instance the compliance department for a large bank will have domestic roles as well as regional roles. That is a major difference.”

Ultimately it is advisable to work out what industry is most appealing, something which experience at a firm with a good rotation system for junior lawyers can assist with, according to Wong. “The issue for most is deciding what role will meet one’s needs. If someone is unhappy in private practice, I would sit with him or her and ask the reasons why. The concerns may be something like workload, in which case there may be alternative options within the firm can be looked at such as a part time or professional support role. Other examples may be that the individual wants to be less client-facing, or start to work with just one or two key clients rather than deal with many at once, for some there will be a work around. It can be worth having the discussion,” said Wong. 

Being more a part of the business also has its own drawbacks such as excessive working hours and a strong management hierarchy, which may be similar to the reasons a lawyer would choose to leave private practice, according to Ben Cooper, vice president, Asia Pacific for CML. “Domestic organisations in both Hong Kona and mainland China quite often demand long working hours from their staff and provide less holidays. Saturday working is also quite common. International travel is less common in local organisations [than MNCs] but travel to work can be longer as a lot of them are based outside of the main business districts. The work will focus more on local issues and the culture will tend to be more hierarchical,” he said.

While Wong agrees salaries can vary between local or domestic organisations and MNCs, she recommended that lawyers wondering what the appropriate salary is should be guided by the benchmark set by private practice for their level of experience. She also recommended using the services of a good recruitment agent or using a head-hunter who will know what the market is paying and is able to offer a realistic expectation with regards to remuneration and benefits.