Working in-house

What are we trying to do

We want to help support and develop solicitors working in-house across England and Wales. We do this by providing guidance and information specific to their needs, and the day-to-day challenges of their role.

Who needs to know

Solicitors working in in-house roles, and those they work with or for.

What's going on

More than 34,000 in-house solicitors are working in more than 6,000 organisations across England and Wales in a wide range of industries and public bodies. These range from multi-national corporations and government departments to high-street businesses, charities, educational establishments and local health authorities.

This important, influential, and diverse part of the profession plays a key role in helping organisations to behave legally, fairly and ethically.

Working directly with the in-house community, we have developed a range of resources, guidance and wider materials specifically aimed at in-house solicitors and their employers.

Guidance for in-house solicitors

We have been working closely with the in-house community over the last year to develop specific guidance to support their work. Following on from our first dedicated conference, and with input from the profession, we developed and published draft guidance in March 2024 for comment.

The guidance addresses the unique challenges and issues facing in-house solicitors working across a range of employers and sectors. Topics covered include identifying the client, and reporting concerns of wrongdoing. We also address issues such as legal professional privilege, balancing ethical obligations and managing legal risk. Our guidance for employers aims to enhance understanding of solicitors professional obligations, and strengthen the support that employers provide to help solicitors to meet them. 

• Guidance for employers on a solicitor's professional obligations
• Identifying your client when working in-house
• Internal investigations
• New guidance on legal professional privilege when working in-house
• New separate document for governing boards, chief executives and senior officers in organisations employing in-house solicitors
• Reporting concerns about wrongdoing when working in-house

Get involved

Conference

In spring 2024 we brought together experts on working in-house from organisations in the private, public, and charity sectors to share their insights. The conference is available to watch on demand.  Save the date for next conference on 12 March 2025.

Join our virtual reference group

We work closely with the in-house community to better understand your needs and develop new materials to support you on a day-to-day basis.One of the ways we do this is by working with our in-house virtual reference group. as we did for example in developing the dedicated in-house guidance mentioned above. If you are potentially interested in getting involved with this group, please contact us.