Sector silos for in-house lawyers?

There is no doubt that sector familiarity is something which every in-house lawyer needs to acquire. However it is a pity that so much weight seems to be placed on this by the recruiters. I believe that individuals and organisations can benefit hugely from experience gained in different sectors.
If you identify a sector in which you would like to work, put some effort into acquainting yourself with it - there is so much information available these days - and network with others (lawyers or business people) who already work in it. Build your business acumen and personal skills - they are good passports. Give some thought to how you fit in the generalist / specialist spectrum.
Take heart from appointments which show that the silos do not trap you in a sector for your entire career.
Contact me if you would like some more ideas on this subject.

Open plan working for in-house lawyers

Some in-house lawyers (a minority I would say) enjoy working in an open plan environment, others hate it. I have come across legal departments who having been through the valley of open plan have succeeded in making the case to revert to separate offices, or shared by no more than 2 lawyers.

Most organisations apply a regime across the board and find it awkward to allow dispensations for particular functions. The primary arguments of preserving confidentiality and permitting concentration are often discounted as being overly precious or elitist. Actual layout, heights of any partitions and intensity of occupation make a big difference.

If you are working open plan, you do need to have a haven somewhere for concentrated work without distraction - especially reviewing and considering a document. If you are producing something, it is easier to shut out distractions.

One of the supposed advantages of open plan is ready communication amongst colleagues. I have come across departments where there is a lot of banter and others where you could hear a pin drop because nobody wants to disturb anyone else. Proximity of working is no guarantee of good communication - you need to work hard at it, whatever the office layout. A number of in-house lawyers thrive by being located in the hurly burly of a commercial team working in open plan - others regard such an environment as hellish.

Any views about open plan and successful ways of combatting or working with it?