Abstract

As the in-house bar association^SM, the American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) is often asked questions relating to the composition and demographics of the in-house counsel profession. Usually, those interested in in-house demographics are looking to either benchmark their own experiences and practices or to anticipate how in-house counsel will influence the outside bar and corporate client service norms in the future.

While ACCA has always monitored the broad trends affecting in-house practice, it has been more difficult to be specific about demographics. We collect and tabulate a variety of information about our members, but, until recently, there had never been a comprehensive census of the in-house profession. The hurdles that impeded us were both financial (census work is extremely expensive) and physical (the in-house profession is not neatly organized or "listed" on state bar, Martindale, or other registries). Because in-house counsel do not need to market their services, there is very little incentive for them to include their information on contact lists that don't specifically serve their needs.

Despite these hurdles, in 2001, ACCA began an exhaustive project, working with several research firms and under the generous financial sponsorship of eLawForum, to complete the first ever census of the American in-house legal profession. This article will describe some of the highlights of this census, and link some of the demographics to related trends in the in-house profession. 

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