As a young lawyer in a small San Francisco law firm, I was always under pressure to bill, bill, bill. At the end of every month after I handed in my time sheets, the firm’s driving force senior partner would barge into my office and tell me that my hours were too low and I had to bill more. My response, which I repeated many times, was to politely agree and tell him that I’d try harder. I dared not tell him that I valued work-life balance and didn’t want to work myself silly to put more money in his pocket.

I developed a deep distaste for the business of the practice of law – keeping track of hours, calling clients to collect fees, the constant hustle to bring business through the door. I was not long for private practice and soon found my place in an in-house counsel role.

I enjoyed being able to focus on solving problems and structuring, negotiating and documenting deals without the distraction of mundane administrative tasks. However there was a downside and it became apparent over time.

After being laid off in 1991 during the real estate crash, with 10 years of experience, it seemed impossible to find a new job. There were positions for attorneys with 5-8 years but none for those more experienced. I ultimately became general counsel for a company doing work that was very challenging. I was able to expand my expertise into other areas to satisfy my need for intellectual and professional growth. But the principals and I differed as to how to deal with situations and conduct business. It seemed I was always cleaning up messes that could have been avoided by a less hard-line approach. I felt under pressure from senior management to make judgments they wanted me to make but were not the most legally sound or ethical. In other words, my independence and objectivity were at risk.

With a few more years under my belt, the challenge of finding a new job was even harder and my options fewer.

I conceptualized a situation in which I could act as general counsel to a few companies at the same time, each on a part-time basis. I could earn a decent income and be challenged by high level work in an environment in which, not being a captive employee, my experience would be more highly valued. Without my entire income on the line with any single client, I could more freely express my opinion with less fear of being shown the door for having done so. I joined The General Counsel.