Solicitors from the ‘cosseted environment’ of top City law firms have been denied the skills and experience they need to make the transition to an in-house role, leading general counsel have warned.

In-house lawyers have complained that they cannot recruit the right candidate from private practice because City associate solicitors lack decision-making experience.

Carol Williams, head of legal and company secretary at food producer Northern Foods, said effective in-house lawyers are proactive and willing to ‘step up and lead’ when required. They have a ‘can-do attitude’ and are able to put a persuasive case to other managers, she said.

‘But few solicitors from the cosseted environment of a law practice have this skill set. Many have never even mixed with non-lawyers. They have the legal knowledge, but have never been allowed to gain the responsibilities and experience to succeed in-house,’ she said.

Williams said the problem stemmed from the fact that, under the traditional model, only solicitors at partner level are permitted to take decisions.

The general counsel for a leading insurer, who asked not to be named, said the lack of decision-making skills among City lawyers was causing him recruitment difficulties.

He had interviewed candidates from City and large national firms with three and four years’ post-qualification experience who were ‘strong on paper’, but were unsuited for the role of associate counsel.

‘In-house is a tough environment. You need to be strong-willed and you need certainty. But when I ask candidates for an example of a difficult decision they have made at work, they look at me blankly. It’s a basic interviewing question, but most reply they asked the partner for advice,’ he said.

He added that although junior lawyers were well paid at City firms, the long hours worked and the lack of opportunity to develop themselves meant they were effectively being ‘exploited’.

Marian Lloyd-Jones, a director of City legal recruiters Lipson Lloyd-Jones, said ‘attitude’ was more important than finding a candidate who ‘ticked all the right boxes’.

Sometimes the perfect candidate is not out there, Lloyd-Jones said.