Hello. My name is Mark. And this is me, entering into uncharted territory ... again.

By Mark Leung 

"Uncharted territory" - probably not something a CEO should blog about, let alone a CEO of a start-up law firm, let alone a CEO of a start-up law firm writing the firm's very first blog post. But hey - I've never been one to call a spade ... an orange?

Failed intersectional metaphors aside, this is indeed not the first time in my professional career where I am dipping my toes into something completely new.

Let's initiate a quick flashback sequence, shall we?

It all began when ...

... I started my legal career in "Big Law", where I cut my teeth working for some tough "hombres" as a litigation associate. I then decided ... no wait ... sorry, I got ahead of myself. Let's rewind the tape (you, post-millennials, will need to look up that reference).

It all began when ...

... I first started my legal career as an entrepreneur in between my 2nd and 3rd year of law school. Over that summer, two business partners (i.e., friends) and I decided to launch a branding firm called "Stuck", and as the resident lawyer-in-the-making among the group, I incorporated my first business.

Fast forward back to my time in Big Law, which after 3+ years of that stint, I decided to go back into my business and serve as Corporate Counsel to my start-up branding firm.

After 1.5 years in my startup, with many (personal) highs, but even more (financial) lows, I called a spade a spade (there, I did it) and sold my interest in my business and went looking for stable employment like a "responsible adult".

Lucky for me, my (Big Law + litigation associate) + (Start-up + in-house counsel) profile made me attractive to at least one company, BBTV, a media and tech business which was undergoing hyper-growth as a result of a cash injection by its then new parent company. I then worked there for 7.5 years, first as Legal Counsel, then Senior Legal Counsel, and then finally Director of Legal, where I managed a team of 3 lawyers and a paralegal.

Having done as much as I could beyond becoming the General Counsel at BBTV (which wasn't going to happen for both the right and wrong reasons), I opted to take on the GC role at my next gig, GSL Group. Unlike BBTV, which at that point had become a publicly traded company on the TSX, GSL Group was (and still is) a group of privately owned companies, which hired me to help them enter into new streams of business in the online tech space. As GC of GSL Group, I had the revered, but certainly weighty, role of being a strategic legal advisor for the companies' Leadership and Executive teams. But after close to 2 years in that role, it was time for me to leave.

Since then, I've recently returned* to teaching (*I first co-instructed the same course with my dearest friend and mentor, Jon Festinger, during COVID) at UBC's Sauder School of Business, one of the best business schools in Canada.

In each of these various roles and experiences, as unique as they were, there was at least one common trait - it was me stepping into ... (you, guessed it) ... uncharted territory. Before GSL, had I ever served as a GC? Nope. Before BBTV, had I ever built and led a Legal department? Not even close. Before Stuck, had I ever worked as an in-house lawyer? Not a chance. Before Big Law, did I even know how to be a lawyer? Forget about it.

All of which brings me to today.

During my last 10+ years in in-house, I've often wondered if I would ever go back into: (a) private practice, and/or (b) my own business. In regards to the former, it seemed unlikely, as my experience in Big Law certainly left me wanting (which could be the subject of a separate blog post, if there's enough interest). And similarly with respect to the latter, I've had many reservations on becoming an entrepreneur again, given my tumultuous experience in my first start-up (again, I'll leave this for a possible future blog post).

So given my past experiences and current sentiments, why would I now consider starting my own law firm (i.e., doing both (a) and (b) at the same time)?

It's a good question, but let me answer it in an Ouroborosian (pretty sure I just made up that word) fashion, namely with a further question - what if I could practice law in the specific way that I want? And in my case, what if I could take the things I love about being an in-house lawyer (e.g., solving legal and business problems, helping good people grow and scale their businesses, getting my hands "dirty" with legal operations), and integrate them into my own law firm? In other words, what if an external lawyer could practice like an in-house lawyer?

And why not? Why do we assume that lawyers can only serve their clients in the same way that has been done for decades now (billable hours, anyone)? Surely, the legal industry is ripe and ready for innovation. I know the majority of business owners that I know have been anxiously waiting for it.

So, yes, this notion of a fractional law firm certainly (once again) represents uncharted waters for me. But this time, my newest venture is also uncharted territory for everyone else (and by that hyperbole, I mean the majority of the legal profession).

So is starting my own law firm scary? Yes. But to start my own law firm so that I can practice the way I want? To be honest, I think doing it that way actually dials down the fear factor a couple of notches in my book.

But assuming this legal services model is sound, what would you even call a lawyer that straddles the two planes of existence? You may have previously seen my thoughts on the term "fractional". So yeah, certainly, not a big fan of "fractional (anything)".

How about an "in & out" -house lawyer? We're getting closer, but for all the right reasons, we're still miles off.

No, as it came to me like lightning one night as I was sitting in the hallway, putting down my 4-year old son (shout out to you, buddy), you'd call this lawyer ... an "inter-house" lawyer.

And since that moment, my life has been a rocket ship, streaking into ... (you guessed it) ... uncharted territory (again).

So whether you're here to cheer me on, or whether you're here to see me crash, whatever is the case, I'm cool with it. I've failed before, and I'll fail again. I've also climbed to the top of mountains, and realized there's nothing "really" up there.

As I've been espousing to junior lawyers and future leaders, what's important, whether you've fallen to a bottom or you've reached a top, is that you don't stop climbing. What matters is you enjoy the climb.

So here I am, climbing up something new, and I'm having a blast doing it. (So far.)

So, without further ado ...

Introducing, my new law firm ...

Interhouse.

Your Legal is Here.