You earn your stripes in private practice. You won't get that cut and thrust starting out in-house (even if a graduate could get an in-house position).
Once you have those skills, then you will be equipped to take on an in-house role. In-house lawyering is something of a distortion - your employer is your client, which throws up all sorts of interesting challenges. Don't be scared of the long hours in private practice - you are young and there is usually a lot of adrenalin keeping you going and a big buzz in the larger firms.
After you have worked in private practice for a while, and become sufficiently cynical about law, your collegues, the legal system, corporations, and human frailty, then you will have acheived a measure of professional objectivity enabling you to consider other careers moves if you wish. You might also be depressed and hate your job. I say that in jest, but it's very often true. There are a lot of better ways to make money than doing law, although it is generally well paid in the good practices. You won't really know what suits you until you have been working for a while.
Once you have those skills, then you will be equipped to take on an in-house role. In-house lawyering is something of a distortion - your employer is your client, which throws up all sorts of interesting challenges. Don't be scared of the long hours in private practice - you are young and there is usually a lot of adrenalin keeping you going and a big buzz in the larger firms.
After you have worked in private practice for a while, and become sufficiently cynical about law, your collegues, the legal system, corporations, and human frailty, then you will have acheived a measure of professional objectivity enabling you to consider other careers moves if you wish. You might also be depressed and hate your job. I say that in jest, but it's very often true. There are a lot of better ways to make money than doing law, although it is generally well paid in the good practices. You won't really know what suits you until you have been working for a while.
