Florida’s In-House Counsel Landscape
Take a look at the number of corporate headquarters in Florida and you get a sense of what the market is for in-house counsel positions. Now, to get the full picture, take a look at the number of companies whose Latin America operations are headquartered in Florida.
The quick answer is this: there are a lot of in-house counsel opportunities in Florida.
There are a few in-house legal departments that number in the 40-70 range, but that’s the exception. There are a number of 10-20 person legal departments and of course plenty of smaller companies. One of the nice things about Florida is that there are some very large corporations with a need for serious in-house legal talent throughout the state, not just in Miami. You can find opportunities in very family friendly cities and towns where the cost of living is very reasonable, where the lifestyle is “simple(r)”, and where there are excellent public schools. Frankly, it’s a nice mix.
I have worked on in-house counsel opportunities in Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Ft. Myers, and Tampa. The companies conducting these searches were all pretty receptive to both local and out of state candidates. Just like any in-house position, there is fierce competition for these positions.
If you’d like to discuss a strategic plan to find in-house counsel opportunities in Florida, feel free to give me a call at 305-767-3744
