For Obaid Bin-Nasir, leaving a large private practice firm for an in-house role at the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) meant stepping into a dramatically different legal world. Gone were the late nights working until 11 PM and the pressure of billable hours. Instead, he found himself in a two-person legal team, handling construction law matters for 2,500 diverse clients.

“The main challenge is that you don’t have peers you can lean on,” Bin-Nasir reveals. “When you go in-house, the training wheels are off: I was running my own projects straight away.” His days now revolve around managing ECA’s legal helpline, reviewing construction contracts, and handling payment disputes that can make or break smaller contractors.

The shift brought unexpected challenges in career development. “Working in-house, there’s always an overarching question about how you’re going to progress,” he notes. Unlike private practice’s clear path from trainee to partner, in-house progression often requires creative thinking about growth opportunities, including potential moves into business management roles.

Qualifying at 30 after six years as a paralegal, Bin-Nasir’s journey wasn’t traditional. “In the legal industry, we hear a lot of success stories, but that’s not the reality for everyone,” he shares. His experience proves that success doesn’t always follow a straight path, especially during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic when he faced unemployment.

But the move in-house has delivered what he sought most: work-life balance. “Most days, I can shut my laptop at 5pm if I want to,” he says. For Bin-Nasir, this means more time for family, friends, and personal life – a trade-off that has made his unconventional career path worthwhile.

Read more: The Law Society