Litigators’ Nimbleness, Persuasion Skills Benefit In-House Teams

We all have those moments in our career that linger and stay with us. Maybe it was your first trial victory or getting that first high stakes deal closed.

For me, one such moment came almost a decade ago, when I accepted an offer to be a transactional attorney at BuzzFeed after spending the early part of my career as a general commercial litigator at a large New York City law firm.

BuzzFeed, a media and technology company, had a lean legal team—most of the attorneys were subject matter experts or previously had practiced in-house. I had no media industry experience, and it was uncommon for someone with my general litigation background to go in-house directly from a law firm. I felt like a fish out of water and—uncomfortably—like I was starting my legal career over.

My doubts were put to rest as I adapted to the culture and demands of in-house legal work. I learned the ins and outs of the company, negotiated tricky issues, and got comfortable with advising in risk areas. Legal and business colleagues also provided some helpful positive feedback.

But nagging thoughts about how I ended up with this position wouldn’t go away. So toward the end of my first year, still grappling with feelings of doubt and genuine curiosity, I asked the general counsel, “Why did you hire me?” I knew there had been other candidates who had what I considered more relevant experience.

The answer was simple: The general counsel valued hiring litigators. She said litigators are uniquely trained to analyze and think critically, with each new case presenting a new set of facts or an unfamiliar industry to learn. To her, hiring a litigator meant adding someone to her team who could spot and understand issues quickly, ask the probing questions, and exercise sound judgment.

I recall her advice to me in that conversation as if it were yesterday: Trust my training, because although I might not get the perfect answer, it would put me in the ballpark—and that would be enough.

To be honest, at that moment, I don’t know if I fully believed what she said. I still don’t know if I believe it today. But that conversation is something I’ve kept in my back pocket all these years. And I’ve come to see that there is some truth there.

My years as a litigator equipped me with skills that I use in my in-house practice every day. Being an effective litigator requires deep factual investigation, but it also requires savvy and strategic use of those facts. On any given day in my current role at Vox Media, I might be supporting transactional work, advising on compliance issues, or navigating new product launches.

In-house attorneys have no time to exhaust all the research or write memos. The business needs an answer. You have to move quickly, and often make decisions without all the information. That’s where years of reading through documents, searching for answers, and homing in on weaknesses become crucial to the in-house environment.

My background as a former litigator has also provided unexpected benefits to relationship management. Anyone who has supported business teams, and certainly sales teams, knows that there are challenges and—hopefully, healthy—tension.

Litigation is an art of persuasion. It forces you to craft an argument even with unfavorable facts, advocate for that position, and build credibility with your audience—whether a judge, jury, or business team.

You have to understand what motivates people and what will bring them to the table and, yes, tolerate disagreement without damaging relationships. I’ve had to call on that training too many times to count.

The deeper I get in my career, the more I appreciate the value of my prior experience. We all bring lessons with us, and what I’ve learned is they can propel us forward—if we learn to lean on them.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.

Author Information

Lystra Batchoo is vice president and associate general counsel at Vox Media.

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