How to hire a corporate attorney

How to hire a corporate attorney, step by step

Here's a step-by-step corporate attorney hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a corporate attorney job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new corporate attorney
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a corporate attorney do?

Post a corporate attorney job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the corporate attorney you need to hire. Certain corporate attorney roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a corporate attorney to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a corporate attorney that fits the bill.

   This list presents corporate attorney salaries for various positions.

   Type of Corporate Attorney	Description	Hourly rate
   Corporate Attorney	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$32-95
   General Counsel	A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters... Show more	$36-100
   Legal Counsel	A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.	$38-103

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Law Firm
   • Litigation
   • Real Estate
   • Mergers
   • Legal Issues
   • Securities
   • Intellectual Property
   • Legal Advice
   • Legal Support
   • Corporate Law
   • Legal Services
   • Legal Research
   • In-House Counsel
   • Due Diligence

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Draft LLC operating agreements, corporate governing documents, stock and asset purchase agreements, and redemption agreements.
   • Contribute to company website by writing articles on current issues in taxation and tax issues for common life situations.

   More corporate attorney duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your corporate attorney job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A corporate attorney salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, corporate attorneys' average salary in maine is 54% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level corporate attorneys earn 66% less than senior-level corporate attorneys.
   • Certifications. A corporate attorney with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a corporate attorney's salary.

   Average corporate attorney salary

   $115,653yearly

   $55.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level corporate attorney salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average corporate attorney salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$144,431	$69
   2	District of Columbia	$129,418	$62
   3	California	$126,000	$61
   4	Colorado	$123,593	$59
   5	Massachusetts	$121,532	$58
   6	New Jersey	$121,071	$58
   7	Pennsylvania	$113,305	$54
   8	Maryland	$109,390	$53
   9	Illinois	$104,269	$50
   10	Minnesota	$103,536	$50
   11	Michigan	$102,969	$50
   12	Ohio	$102,185	$49
   13	Washington	$101,946	$49
   14	Georgia	$99,818	$48
   15	Texas	$97,978	$47
   16	Arizona	$97,204	$47
   17	Iowa	$94,748	$46
   18	Wisconsin	$92,594	$45
   19	Nebraska	$91,076	$44
   20	Florida	$89,766	$43

   Average corporate attorney salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton	$237,599	$114.23
   2	Skadden	$202,769	$97.49	1
   3	Fried Frank	$202,697	$97.45
   4	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison	$202,310	$97.26	2
   5	Latham & Watkins	$200,786	$96.53	3
   6	Schulte Roth & Zabel	$199,320	$95.83
   7	Greenberg Traurig	$187,840	$90.31	13
   8	DLA Piper	$182,724	$87.85	157
   9	Kane Russell Coleman Logan	$179,773	$86.43
   10	Foley & Lardner	$176,856	$85.03	15
   11	American Tower	$175,585	$84.42	4
   12	White and Williams	$172,158	$82.77
   13	Amazon	$170,474	$81.96	97
   14	Dorsey & Whitney	$163,667	$78.69
   15	Zeta	$162,784	$78.26
   16	Techtronic Industries TTI	$156,719	$75.35
   17	Oaktree Capital Management	$153,923	$74.00
   18	Ford Motor	$151,521	$72.85
   19	USAA	$151,429	$72.80	1
   20	Navistar	$147,429	$70.88

4. Writing a corporate attorney job description

   A corporate attorney job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a corporate attorney job description:

   Corporate attorney job description example

   Sr Corporate Counsel - Labcorp Drug Development Law Department[Internal Summary, not for posting: A highly experienced attorney who has significant subject matter, client or law department responsibilities and may have some supervisory responsibility for other law department personnel on a project-specific or permanent basis. May serve specified business units or clients or provide legal support in a specialized area. 5 to 12 years legal experience. Remote Option.

   Education and Experience :

   The Senior Corporate Counsel should possess an advanced degree (juris doctor) and have at least 5 years of contract negotiation, drafting, litigation/dispute resolution, transactions, or related legal experience.

   • Admitted to practice law in a US state• Excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills are essential requirements

   • Capacity to review large commercial contracts and provide practical, business-focused advice is required

   • Comprehensive knowledge of general corporate business practices and a sound understanding of contracting models and commercial practices is required

   • Experience in the clinical research industry or a healthcare services field is helpful• Demonstrated persuasive interpersonal style capable of influencing senior executives• Language capabilities in addition to English are valued

   • Excellent interpersonal skills• Good written and verbal communication• Commercial awareness

   • Exceptional organizational skills, time management and attention to detail

   • Strong Proficiency in Word/Excel/Powerpoint/Outlook• Flexibility in responding to job demands

   KEY ATTRIBUTES:

   • A collaborative and persuasive personality able to influence executives and non-executives

   • Able to effectively communicate with internal and external customers and at all levels of the organization

   • Demonstrated ability to communicate complex legal issues and solutions clearly and succinctly

   Labcorp is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer:

   As an EOE/AA employer, the organization will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status.

   For more information about how we collect and store your personal data, please see our Privacy Statement.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find corporate attorneys for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any corporate attorneys they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level corporate attorneys with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your corporate attorney job on Zippia to find and recruit corporate attorney candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting corporate attorneys requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new corporate attorney

   Once you have selected a candidate for the corporate attorney position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a corporate attorney?