What does a corporate attorney do?
A corporate attorney is a corporate lawyer who acts as an agent representing a corporation's legal matters. Corporate attorneys represent the business transactions and operations and help their clients prevent expensive litigation. They advise business enterprises on their legal obligations, responsibilities, and rights. It is part of their job to recommend clients on business structures and provide an evaluation of their ventures. The lawyers are expected to develop strong communication skills, negotiation skills, attention to detail, and analytical skills.
Corporate attorney responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real corporate attorney resumes:
- 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.
- Argue a case against the IRS involving criminal tax avoidance and are able to keep client from serving in prison.
- Respond to questions from the field with regard to the U.S. taxation of expatriates and various other foreign and domestic issues.
- Represent public companies in all their securities matters
- Draft replies to non-responsibility appeals by contractors.
- Draft IRS applications for tax-exemption and state applications for non-profit registration.
- Prepare private placement memorandum for company offerings of securities to private investors.
- File and litigate permit appeals arising under federal and state environmental laws.
- Draft investor title opinions; researched/analyze probate records, litigation documentation, easement/rights-of-way, farm-out and operating agreements and assignments.
- Excel at complex business litigation and advising small business owners regarding risk minimization through structural, contractual and business procedure planning.
Corporate attorney skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Corporate Attorneys are proficient in Law Firm, Litigation, and Real Estate. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Corporate Attorneys that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Law Firm, 14%
Perform corporate litigation in a boutique law firm specializing in corporate restructuring and reorganization.
- Litigation, 10%
Excelled at complex business litigation and advising small business owners regarding risk minimization through structural, contractual and business procedure planning.
- Real Estate, 6%
Coordinated capital raising activities of private equity clients involved in real estate acquisitions.
- Mergers, 5%
Assisted clients in various mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, including drafting and negotiating transaction documents and coordinating closing matters.
- Legal Issues, 5%
Provided counseling on day-to-day routine commercial matters to personnel at all levels of the organization by successfully explaining complex legal issues.
- Securities, 4%
Prepared registration statements and related SEC filing documents for public offerings of securities.
Common skills that a corporate attorney uses to do their job include "law firm," "litigation," and "real estate." You can find details on the most important corporate attorney responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a corporate attorney to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, a corporate attorney resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "drafted investor title opinions; researched/analyzed probate records, litigation documentation, easement/rights-of-way, farm-out and operating agreements and assignments. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling corporate attorney duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." According to a corporate attorney resume, here's how corporate attorneys can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "demonstrated effective interpersonal skills through working closely with office of general counsel and administrative appeals judges. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for corporate attorneys to perform their duties. For an example of how corporate attorney responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a corporate attorney: "negotiated and resolved cases before litigation. ".
Research skills. A big part of what corporate attorneys do relies on "research skills." You can see how essential it is to corporate attorney responsibilities because "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical corporate attorney tasks: "worked in conjunction with both the in-house counsel and litigation departments on research and strategy for numerous complex legal issues. "
The three companies that hire the most corporate attorneys are:
- PSCU
28 corporate attorneys jobs
- DLA Piper26 corporate attorneys jobs
- Bank of America12 corporate attorneys jobs
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Compare different corporate attorneys
Corporate attorney vs. Assistant general counsel
An assistant general counsel helps the general counsel in giving professional legal services to an entity, such as protecting its legal affairs. He/She or she also helps stakeholders such as legal and executive managers and board of directors for the efficient execution of their roles. The position requires essential skills such as good research, analytical, interpersonal skills, and a keen eye for details. The education requirements for the job include obtaining a bachelor's or master's degree in law, business, political science, and a related field.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, corporate attorney responsibilities require skills like "law firm," "mergers," "corporate law," and "securities law." Meanwhile a typical assistant general counsel has skills in areas such as "juris," "ethics," "legal risks," and "regulatory issues." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Assistants general counsel tend to make the most money working in the utilities industry, where they earn an average salary of $154,436. In contrast, corporate attorneys make the biggest average salary, $164,926, in the professional industry.On average, assistants general counsel reach similar levels of education than corporate attorneys. Assistants general counsel are 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Corporate attorney vs. 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. They work proactively to lessen possible problems associated with legalities and potential risks. They have to monitor practices and the people within the law firm for misconduct. They also perform dominant roles in regulation, ethics, public affairs, and legislation. It is common for them to serve as the public spokesperson of the company during the publicity of legal matters.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, corporate attorney responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "real estate," "mergers," "corporate law," and "securities law." Meanwhile, a general counsel has duties that require skills in areas such as "juris," "ethics," "corporate governance," and "regulatory issues." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
General counsels may earn a higher salary than corporate attorneys, but general counsels earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $135,018. On the other hand, corporate attorneys receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $164,926.Average education levels between the two professions vary. General counsels tend to reach similar levels of education than corporate attorneys. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Corporate attorney vs. 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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, corporate attorneys are more likely to have skills like "law firm," "real estate," "mergers," and "corporate law." But a legal counsel is more likely to have skills like "legal risks," "excellent interpersonal," "ethics," and "internal clients."
Legal counsels make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $159,575. On the other hand, corporate attorneys are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $164,926.When it comes to education, legal counsels tend to earn similar degree levels compared to corporate attorneys. In fact, they're 4.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Corporate attorney vs. Legal consultant
A legal consultant uses legal practice knowledge to enhance a law company's efficiency and profitability. Besides advising on the right solutions for customer productivity, marketing and development strategies, legal consultants also actively manage risks by consulting on program and legal-related issues. They help the parent law firm meet its objectives by analyzing problems and developing solutions. Other than negotiating, drafting, and reviewing legal documents, legal consultants also conduct legal research and analyze the right securities, insurance, and retirement plans.
Types of corporate attorney
Updated January 8, 2025
