Why More GCs Are Moving into Private Practice
For most of my career, the route between Private Practice and in-house only went one way. Associates and senior associates left Law Firms for in-house roles, and a few partners followed them later on. Once a lawyer had become General Counsel, that was generally the final step. A GC going back into a Law Firm, especially as a partner, was rare. People treated it as a curiosity.
That has changed. Our recent editions looked at the GC’s relationship with the CEO and the board. We saw how the role has moved from legal technician to strategic adviser. One consequence we have not yet covered is that more GCs are now taking that experience into Private Practice. Twenty years ago this would have been almost unthinkable. Today it is a credible and increasingly common career move.
Twenty years ago: a one-way door
In the mid-2000s, many legal teams were still treated as a cost centre. The GC was respected, but often sat a layer or two below the executive committee. Their job was to manage risk, instruct external counsel and keep legal spend under control. The high-value work usually went out to Law Firms.
Law Firms saw in-house lawyers the same way. They were clients, not future colleagues. A GC who wanted to come back was assumed to have lost the technical edge and the billing discipline. Nobody expected a former client to walk in and take a seat at the partnership table.
The evidence: a run of high-profile moves
The number of GCs moving into Private Practice has grown quickly. The past eighteen months alone show how much has shifted:
- In January 2026, Rupert Bondy joined WilmerHale in London as a partner and co-chair of its crisis management practice. He had been Chief Legal Officer at UnitedHealth Group and, before that, GC at Reckitt, BP and GSK.
- Also in January, Ropes & Gray hired Paul Dali from EQT, a long-standing client. He had been group general counsel for M&A and investments.
- In February 2026, James Maynard joined Burges Salmon as a Corporate & M&A partner. He had been GC of Farfetch, PVcase and Dream Games.
- In August, Latham & Watkins hired Samantha McGonigle, partner and General Counsel at Hg, into its London private equity practice.
- In September 2026, Philippa Verrecchia joined Fox Williams as a partner in its Financial Services practice. She had been General Counsel at Freetrade, which IG Group acquired.
- Mid-market firms are doing the same. In 2025, Foot Anstey hired boohoo’s former GC and Company Secretary, Tom Kershaw, as a partner in Manchester.
These moves span crisis management, private equity, technology and Financial Services regulation. They also cover the whole market, from U.S. elite firms to UK independents and regional practices. This is a structural shift, not a niche one.
The elevated GC
The GC role today is very different from twenty years ago. The modern General Counsel sits close to the CEO and is a regular presence in the boardroom. In regulated Financial Services, the GC may also carry personal regulatory accountability. They advise on strategy, reputation, regulatory relationships and crisis management, and increasingly on emerging risks such as AI and data.
That breadth is what makes GCs valuable to Law Firms now. Bondy’s appointment shows this clearly. WilmerHale did not hire him for a book of business in the traditional sense. It hired him for decades of steering boards through some of the most serious corporate crises of the period.
“Law Firms are no longer asking whether a GC can bill. They are asking what that GC knows about the client’s world that no career partner could. That is a very different conversation, and it is one we are having more and more often.” James Franklin, Managing Director, Head of Legal, Danos Group.
Why Law Firms want them
Client proximity. Clients expect their advisers to understand the commercial and political realities of the in-house seat. On joining Latham, McGonigle reflected on her time in-house. It had shown her the value of advisers who understand a client’s wider commercial goals.
Relationships. Several of these hires came from long-standing clients of the firm, and that is no coincidence. Former GCs bring networks of peers, boards and regulators. They also understand panel reviews and procurement from the buyer’s side.
New advisory offerings. Firms are building practices in crisis response, governance, board advisory and regulatory strategy. These work best when led by people who have done the job themselves.
Regulatory complexity. Financial Services clients face Consumer Duty, financial crime scrutiny, operational resilience and an evolving cryptoasset regime. A partner who has been GC of a regulated firm offers a perspective that is hard to replicate.
Why GCs are choosing Private Practice
More routes than ever. As we wrote in July, the GC seat is now a credible path to CEO. But it is not the only route the role has opened up. Board and non-executive portfolios, senior advisory roles and partnership are all realistic options. Private Practice suits GCs who want to keep practising law at the highest level.
Variety and impact. Nicole Cadman, former GC of Y Combinator, is now a partner at Freshfields. She told Corporate Counsel: “Being a GC means protecting one company.” Many GCs want to apply what they have learned across a whole market, not just one organisation.
Using hard-won experience. Some GCs have led a business through regulatory scrutiny, a crisis or a major transaction. Many clients need exactly that expertise. Partnership lets them bring it to many boards rather than one.
Economics. Partnership at the top of the market can offer earning potential that in-house packages struggle to match.
Flexible models. Firms are far more willing to tailor targets and integration plans for GC hires. They increasingly treat them as long-term strategic investments, not simple laterals.
It is not for everyone
The move is not without risk. Billable hours, origination targets and partnership politics can come as a shock, as can losing your status as “the client”. A GC used to leading a team at the executive table may have to build a practice almost from scratch.
Successful movers tend to share three things. They have a clear proposition the firm can take to market, strong external relationships and a realistic view of partnership. It is notable how many of the recent hires trained or practised in Law Firms earlier in their careers. They are returning to a model they know.
What GCs moving into Private Practice means for the market
For boards and in-house teams, strong GCs now have more options than ever, and succession planning needs to reflect that. For Law Firms, GCs moving into Private Practice offer a new pool of talent. That can change how firms engage with clients. For GCs, it confirms that the career path is no longer linear.
Twenty years ago, a GC moving into a Law Firm would have raised eyebrows. Today, it is a sign of how far the role has come. Our Legal team at Danos Group are qualified lawyers. They have spent decades advising General Counsel and Law Firms on senior appointments. Are you a GC considering your next move? Or a firm looking to bring client-side experience into your partnership? We would welcome a confidential conversation. Please contact James Franklin at jfranklin@thedanosgroup.com.
