Every occasion on which an in-house counsel tells a law firm, "We won& #39;t pay for work done by your first-year associates" is an indictment of the jurisdiction that told the world (and the associate) she was ready to practise law.

Okay, my original tweet was an overstatement. There are other reasons why in-house counsel won& #39;t pay for first-year lawyers& #39; work, including billing rates. But I maintain that premature credentialing plays at least some role in the process.