Going in-house, how does it work?

[marsilni]

May seem like an obvious question, but is it easier to move in-house if one has work experience prior to working at a law firm?  Can you go straight from law school? Someone I know was an intern for a pro sports team during college.  He took a year off, went to law school, and starting working for the team as a lawyer after he passed the bar.  He recently got a huge promotion, general counsel/VP, with zero firm experience.  I plan on working for 2 years before I got to law school, then go back and maybe do a JD/MBA program.  Will my chances of moving in-house be better with such experience?  How does the move in-house usually happen?  Strictly who you know?  My ultimate goal: going in-house for a sports team or entertainment company.  Perhaps working for a mid-size firm for a year or two just for the money and the expereience.

[linquest]

Most people go in-house after working in BigLaw or a related government agency for several years.  I know a few people who went straight from law school through connections or prior internships with the company.  How much pre-LS work experience will help you depends on what type of work you were doing and what kind of connections you were able to make.