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What is a corporate attorney and how to become one
Corporate attorneys provide legal representation for companies, guiding them through legal regulations. Their job is to make sure business procedures adhere to local and federal law.
As a corporate attorney, you might work for different clients at a law firm or be directly employed by the corporation that uses your services. In any case, your job will be to prepare and manage legal documents, negotiate deals, give legal advice to management, and assess business opportunities from a legal aspect.
You will need a law degree to be considered for this position and probably experience working in a corporate setting, as well. You will need your communication and negotiation skills to be in shipshape, and an aptitude in analytical reasoning must come with the trade.
What general advice would you give to a corporate attorney?
Hanna Royce
Assistant Dean of Career Services, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law
Many graduates are securing remote positions. To be successful in a remote environment, employees need to make the extra effort to communicate and stay connected with colleagues. Even when employees are telecommuting, they should dress as if they are going into the office. This can help them with productivity and illustrate their professionalism when meeting with colleagues or clients.
Avg. Salary $115,653
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 10%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%
Asian 6.29%
Black or African American 5.45%
Hispanic or Latino 7.67%
Unknown 4.37%
White 75.91%
Genderfemale 42.08%
male 57.92%
Age - 45American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 45Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Corporate attorney career paths
Key steps to become a corporate attorney
Explore corporate attorney education requirements
Start to develop specific corporate attorney skills
Skills Percentages Law Firm 13.85% Litigation 10.47% Real Estate 6.50% Mergers 5.12% Legal Issues 5.07% Complete relevant corporate attorney training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corporate attorneys learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a corporate attorney based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corporate attorney resumes.Research corporate attorney duties and responsibilities
- Manage day-to-day legal affairs of NYSE list airline.
- Create and manage corporate policies and procedures regarding compliance with legal, ethics, and general employment laws and regulations.
- Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
- Monitor and audit the performance and effectiveness of the ethics and compliance program, taking appropriate steps to improve its effectiveness.
Prepare your corporate attorney resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corporate attorney resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a corporate attorney resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable corporate attorney resume templates
Build a professional corporate attorney resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your corporate attorney resume.
Apply for corporate attorney jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a corporate attorney job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first corporate attorney job
Are you a corporate attorney?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average corporate attorney salary
The average corporate attorney salary in the United States is $115,653 per year or $56 per hour. Corporate attorney salaries range between $67,000 and $198,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do corporate attorneys rate their job?
Corporate attorney reviews
As a civil litigation defense attorney I love the fact that every day is different. I enjoy assisting clients who have a problem to solve that problem in the most cost effective way, and how to avoid such problems in the future. I like that I basically set my own work schedule (other than court dates).
Billing hours. Unscrupulous opposing counsel. Occasional biased judges who do not follow the law.
Updated January 8, 2025
