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Lindsay Grosse’s earliest law memories involve her father’s dictaphone—to our younger readers, consider it a machine entirely dedicated to the voice memo function on your phone—sitting on top of the kitchen table. After Grosse and her brother were put to bed, her father would remain at the kitchen table, dictating legal briefs as a state appellate defender for clients who couldn’t afford their own attorneys.
“My dad always seemed so impassioned by his work,” Grosse remembers. “I didn’t understand much of what he did when I was young, but I know it ultimately influenced my choice of law for my career.”
While Grosse was inspired by the passion and fulfillment her father got from his work, she was relatively certain she didn’t want to pursue criminal law. What she didn’t know is that she’d ultimately wind up as litigation counsel at United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world. But the attorney would put in her time in the firm world, probably much more than her contemporaries.
Grosse would come to United Airlines with a decade and a half of practice in litigation at firm Wiedner & McAuliffe, Ltd. where the attorney professionally grew up and later became a partner. And she arrived with a far more complete picture of what an in-house role looked like, thanks in part to a longtime relationship with United and a valuable secondment.
United was a long-time client of Grosse’s firm, and in 2017, the airline sought the temporary support of external counsel for its in-house litigation team. Grosse stepped into the hybrid role. The experience offered her new perspectives on corporate legal operations. She began handling commercial matters, managing personal injury litigation, and learning how to be a business partner across the myriad units at United.
“I found the work so interesting, especially as I got to know a lot of my current internal business clients,” Grosse explains. “I learned a lot more about how the business operates than I had just defending cases on the company’s behalf. It let me know that in-house work was something I was interested in.”
Grosse was able to come in-house full-time in 2023 when a full-time role opened up on the litigation team. Her long-term relationship with the United legal team created a much smoother transition for her than most long-time private practice attorneys have going in-house later in their careers. But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
“There is a much quicker pace in an environment like this,” the attorney explains. “At a law firm, I typically had ample time to think through and prepare advice for my clients on cases I had worked on extensively. That just isn’t the reality for most in-house attorneys where new issues come up daily. You have to know your industry, your company, and your gut. You have to be able to think on your feet and provide actionable, practical advice on the spot. That took a little bit of time to get used to, but I feel much more confident in my role.”
To Those Considering a Switch
Lindsay Grosse went in-house at United Airlines after nearly fifteen years of private practice excellence. With that experience in mind, it was essential to ask her for her advice for young attorneys who may aspire to go in-house someday. These aren’t hard rules, but they’ve proven effective for her.
-Gain firsthand experience within a corporate legal department, like a secondment in Grosse’s case, to fully appreciate the operational and cultural nuances of in-house roles.
-Build a strong foundation in litigation and legal analysis, as it enables future in-house counsel to manage cases and work effectively with outside counsel.
-Develop an understanding of key statutes and regulatory environments relevant to one’s chosen industry, especially in highly regulated sectors like aviation.
“Direct exposure to the business side of legal issues allows attorneys to craft pragmatic solutions,” Grosse explains. “That’s the art of meeting corporate needs without sacrificing compliance.”
The attorney’s purview remains wide; she manages litigation throughout the country but also spends a great deal of time supporting internal business colleagues. It may not be strictly legal issues or even strictly aviation-based, but Grosse knew that was part of what being effective in-house meant, even before her first day on the job.
Outside of her day-to-day work life, Grosse is the mother of two daughters, six and eight, who account for most of her free time. Grosse and her family recently adopted a kitten for the family, and the family addition has been a hit with the girls.
The counsel (mostly) jokes that even a new kitten is a considerably calm step down from the pandemic of 2020, when she, her husband, and daughters—just under three years and nine months old, respectively, at the time—were all stuck at home trying to work full-time and raise a new family concurrently.
“It’s a little easier now for everybody,” Grosse says, laughing. “But we made it through.”
“Lindsay has the unique ability to navigate complex legal issues and ask all the right questions. Her collaborative spirit and professionalism is inspiring. We are privileged to be part of her team.”
–Michael McQuillen, Partner
“Lindsay brings outstanding insight and unwavering integrity to her role at United. Her deep roots in litigation empower her to tackle tough legal challenges with clarity and confidence—and working alongside her is both productive and rewarding.”
–Telly Andrews, Partner
“I have had the pleasure of working with Lindsay for close to 15 years. She has that rare combination of a brilliant legal mind along with the wisdom and judgment to solve complex issues. A truly special person.”
–Richard J. Leamy, Jr., Chairman of Litigation Practice
