Corporate Counsel Resume Examples 2023

Research Summary. We analyzed 839 corporate counsel resumes to determine which ones land the most jobs. Below you'll find examples of resumes that can help you get an interview (and a job offer) from companies like Salesforce and TTEC. Here are the key facts about corporate counsel resumes to help you get the job:

The average corporate counsel resume is 580 words long
The average corporate counsel resume is 1.3 pages long based on 450 words per page.
Legal issues is the most common skill found on a corporate counsel resume. It appears on 8.6% of resumes.

After learning about how to write a professional corporate counsel resume, you can make sure your resume checks all the boxes with our resume builder.

Corporate Counsel Resume Example


Alice Harrison Corporate Counsel Contact Information San Diego, CA (950) 555-6526 aharrison@example.com Skills Federal Agencies Intellectual Property Vendor Agreements Plaintiff Jury Instructions Corporate Policies Costa Rica Habeas Corpus Law Firm Counsel Employment History Corporate Counsel 2020 - Present City of Roseville San Diego, CA Drafted and opposed complex motions for summary judgment. Litigate actions filed against the DOE in federal court in conjunction with the New York City Law Department Corporation Counsel. Administered $1 million+ annual legal department budget. Assess and write treatment plans and weekly progress notes for each client in household. Judicial Clerk 2018 - 2020 North Miami Coral Gables, FL Observe and assist Judge in court proceedings. Offered general assistance to staff attorneys in the Civil Litigation Department. Corresponded with different departments regarding inquiries received from the general public regarding judicial matters and information regarding the court system. Drafted judicial opinions on a variety of civil and criminal cases. Researched and drafted legal documents for calendared cases and petitions. Observed court proceedings including bench and jury trials, evidentiary hearings, oral argument of motions and conferences. Legislative Aide 2011 - 2015 University of California Press Davis, CA Responded to constituent correspondences via phone, email and walk-in. Worked with policy issue advocates to advance campaigns through the legislative process. Acted as the point-of-contact for constituents and coordinated efforts of appropriate state agencies to resolve their issues. Education Doctoral Degree Law 2015 - 2018 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Bachelor's Degree History 2008 - 2011 University of California - Davis Davis, CA


Nicole Ruiz Corporate Counsel Contact Info Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ (530) 555-1159 nruiz@example.com Skills Broad RangeLegal DocumentsSubpoenasCounselRegulatory AgenciesIntellectual PropertyClient Intake InterviewsLegal DepartmentReal EstateCourt Proceedings Employment History Corporate Counsel 2020 - Present Pfizer Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ Promoted to Assistant General Counsel in 2008. Maintained committee charters and Corporate Policies and Procedures Manual. Team member on the Human Resources Offer Acquisition team. Coordinated cross-functional support for intellectual property, tax & other specialized issues. Supervised outside counsel on commercial, transactional and litigation matters. Student Attorney 2014 - 2020 Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison New York, NY Translate complex legal documents into French and English. Appeared before Municipal Court in defense of pro bono clients in response to landlord/tenant claims. Serve as the e-discovery liaison responsible for keeping the staff group abreast of e-discovery developments in the Office of General Counsel. Supervised outside counsel in real estate and litigation matters. Legal Researcher 2013 - 2014 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency New York, NY Drafted and reviewed settlement agreements between the agency and respondents. Investigated client databases for evidence of fraud and for Bankruptcy proceedings. Initiated debt collection action against various debtors including bankruptcy research. Drafted memorandums, reviewed affidavits, and compiled legal documents for attorney use. Drafted legal documents, including discovery requests and motions for summary judgment. Used Microsoft Word to create and edit legal documents (i.e. Education Doctoral Degree Law 2010 - 2013 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Master's Degree Political Science 2009 - 2010 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Bachelor's Degree International Relations 2006 - 2009 George Mason University Fairfax, VA


Alice Harrison Corporate Counsel San Diego, CA aharrison@example.com (950) 555-6526 Experience Corporate Counsel 2020 - Present City of RosevilleSan Diego, CA Drafted and opposed complex motions for summary judgment. Litigate actions filed against the DOE in federal court in conjunction with the New York City Law Department Corporation Counsel. Administered $1 million+ annual legal department budget. Assess and write treatment plans and weekly progress notes for each client in household. Judicial Clerk 2018 - 2020 North MiamiCoral Gables, FL Observe and assist Judge in court proceedings. Offered general assistance to staff attorneys in the Civil Litigation Department. Corresponded with different departments regarding inquiries received from the general public regarding judicial matters and information regarding the court system. Drafted judicial opinions on a variety of civil and criminal cases. Researched and drafted legal documents for calendared cases and petitions. Observed court proceedings including bench and jury trials, evidentiary hearings, oral argument of motions and conferences. Legislative Aide 2011 - 2015 University of California PressDavis, CA Responded to constituent correspondences via phone, email and walk-in. Worked with policy issue advocates to advance campaigns through the legislative process. Acted as the point-of-contact for constituents and coordinated efforts of appropriate state agencies to resolve their issues. Skills Federal Agencies Intellectual Property Vendor Agreements Plaintiff Jury Instructions Corporate Policies Costa Rica Habeas Corpus Law Firm Counsel Education Doctoral Degree Law 2015 - 2018 University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL Bachelor's Degree History 2008 - 2011 University of California - DavisDavis, CA

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How your resume should look:

The job title on your resume should match your application for the role.
Ensure your work experience focuses on achievements, rather than responsibilities.
Recruiters and hiring managers suggest fitting your resume on one page.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Corporate Counsel Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Corporate Counsel templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Corporate Counsel resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Corporate Counsel Resume Format And Sections

1. Add Contact Information To Your Corporate Counsel Resume

Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document.

Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine.

Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching).

Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

Corporate Counsel Resume Contact Information Example #1

Jane Moore

Montgomery, AL 36043| 333-111-2222 | jane.moore@email.com

Do you want to know more?

How To Write The Perfect Resume Header

2. Add Your Relevant Education To The Resume

Your resume's education section should include:

The name of your school
The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
The name of your degree

If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

Optional subsections for your education section include:

Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
Extra certifications
Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc.)

Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

Check More About Corporate Counsel Education

Majors

Law

50.9%

Political Science

10.3%

Business

6.9%

Legal Research And Advanced Professional Studies

6.0%

Corporate Counsel Resume Relevant Education Example #1

Doctoral Degree In Law 2015 - 2018

University of Miami Coral Gables, FL

Corporate Counsel Resume Relevant Education Example #2

Doctoral Degree In Law 2001 - 2004

The John Marshall Law School Chicago, IL

3. Next, Create A Corporate Counsel Skills Section On Your Resume

Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job

Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

Example Of Corporate Counsel Skills For Resume

Intellectual Property Skills
Intellectual properties refer to individuals' intangible or non-physical wealth, which results from their imaginations and intellect.
Legal Risks Skills
Legal risks are the consequences of not adhering to the stipulated laws governing the running and establishment of any business. These consequences can come in the form of fines, lawsuits, sealing or acquisition of the business by the government, and many others. Legal risks come in different types including compliance risk, regulatory risk, reputational risk, and dispute risk.
Risk Management Skills
Risk management is the method of recognizing, evaluating, and managing risks to an organization's resources and profits. Financial insecurity, regulatory liability, strategic management mistakes, incidents, and natural hazards are just some of the challenges or dangers that could arise. For digitalized businesses, IT security vulnerabilities and data-related threats, as well as risk management techniques to mitigate them, have become top priorities.
Due Diligence Skills
Due diligence refers to the process of auditing, investigating, or reviewing done to confirm the authenticity of relevant facts. In addition to this, it also refers to the evaluation of a party's financial records to determine whether one should enter into a transaction with the said party or not.
Human Resources Skills
Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Top Skills for a Corporate Counsel

Source: Zippia.com

Legal Issues, 8.6%

Litigation, 8.5%

Legal Advice, 8.4%

Intellectual Property, 6.4%

Other Skills, 68.1%

Not sure which skills are really important?

3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume

4. List Your Corporate Counsel Experience

The most important part of any resume is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of engineers" and "Managed a team of 6 engineers over a 9-month project."

Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

Don't have any experience?

How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any

Work History Example # 1

Trial Attorney

The Bergquist Company

Managed global employment law litigation and prepared periodic updates for the General Counsel and senior executive team.
Contributed to firm defense work as panel counsel for CNA Insurance and delivered non-insurance general business services for private clients.
Managed corporate governance and corporate and commercial matters for the Caterpillar Inc. Board of Directors.
Drafted and filed bankruptcy petitions on behalf of debtor(s).
Counseled clients about potential liability, negotiated settlements and represented title insurers in all resolution efforts outside of litigation.

Work History Example # 2

Corporate Counsel

Sundown Ranch

Implemented the Company s first e-discovery procedures, litigation hold procedures, case management database and incident reporting system and policies.
Worked with compliance department to implement HIPAA Privacy initiative for United Behavioral Health and U.S. Behavioral Health Plan of California.
Disbursed legal advice on medical management and disputed policy issues, interpreted language and supported settlement by counsel.
Specialized in medical staff, university governance and graduate medical education matters.
Provided day-to-day advice and counsel to executives and senior managers regarding corporate governance, corporate filings, and personnel matters.

Work History Example # 3

Arbitrator

Williams

Settled multi-plaintiff employment discrimination claim in bankruptcy against major trucking company.
Attended and summarized depositions of plaintiffs in asbestos products liability cases.
Deposed witnesses, conducted witness interviews and prepared subpoenas.
Assisted as second-chair counsel in obtaining temporary injunction for client involved in commercial partnership dispute.
Litigated contract disputes representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants and drafted business purchase agreements and lease agreements.

Work History Example # 4

Corporate Counsel

LAW OFFICES OF WINN SIMS

Specialized in Chapter 7, 11, and 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; Managed a large case load;
Managed outside counsel in litigation relating to real property, landlord/tenant disputes, debtor/creditor issues and commercial bankruptcies.
Reported directly to Vice President/General Counsel, and regularly interacted with corporate officers and directors.
Provided oral and written recommendations to supervising attorney regarding privacy, libel and slander laws.
Developed and implemented the litigation plan for the defense of premise liability lawsuits primarily involving claims against restaurants and taverns.

5. Highlight Your Corporate Counsel Certifications On Resume

Certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers that you know your stuff. If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your corporate counsel resume:

Certified Manager Certification (CM)
Certified International Trade Law Specialist (CITLS)
Certified Information Privacy Professional (CCIP)
The Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP)
The Certified Information Privacy Professional - United States (CIPP/US)

More Certifications For Corporate Counsel

6. Finally, Add a Corporate Counsel Resume Summary Or Objective Statement

A resume summary statement is a 1-3 sentence spiel at the top of your resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. In this section, include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

Remember to address skills and experiences that are emphasized in the job description.

Are you a recent grad?

Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement

And If You’re Looking for a Job, Here Are the Five Top Employers Hiring Now:

Common Corporate Counsel Resume Skills

Legal Issues

Litigation

Legal Advice

Intellectual Property

Legal Support

Legal Risks

Internal Clients

Risk Management

In-House Counsel

Due Diligence

Legal Services

Regulatory Compliance

Human Resources

Securities

Cloud Computing

Legal Research

Saas

Data Privacy

Employment Law

Business Development

HIPAA

Professional Services Agreements

Compliance Issues

Vendor Agreements

Legal Compliance

Regulatory Issues

Non-Disclosure Agreements

Legal Affairs

NDAs

Product Development

Corporate Policies

Legal Guidance

Confidentiality Agreements

Vendor Contracts

Strategic Thinking

Corporate Compliance

Compliance Program

Contract Review

Dispute Resolution

FDA

Master Service Agreements

Press Releases

Legal Aspects

Treasury

FTC

Internal Investigations

Corporate Counsel Jobs

Links To Help Optimize Corporate Counsel Resumes

Updated May 19, 2023