What does a legal consultant do?
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.
Legal consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real legal consultant resumes:
- Manage day-to-day legal affairs of NYSE list airline.
- Experience includes analysis and advice regarding claims relate to exotic securities agreements.
- Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
- Audit key financial and claim-relate regulatory processes including Medicare fraud.
- Conduct discovery: documents productions, interrogatories, witness depositions.
- Demonstrate expertise in preparing documents and discovery responses relate to interrogatories, request for admissions, and request for production.
Legal consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Legal Consultants are proficient in Litigation, Regulatory Compliance, and Legal Research. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Legal Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Litigation, 16%
Prepared trial briefs and legal documents relating to the Government's involvement in litigation concerning the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors.
- Regulatory Compliance, 9%
Originated and managed contract tracking database for 5 contract classifications capturing more than 500 agreements and regulatory compliance documents.
- Legal Research, 8%
Performed document review, legal research and analysis regarding business organization, real estate acquisitions, trademark disputes and lease negotiations.
- Financial Statements, 5%
Researched and compiled financial statements and tax records for corporate attorney.
- Client Relationships, 5%
Enhanced fiduciary nature of attorney and client relationships, thereby ensuring effective administration of legal briefs.
- Legal Issues, 5%
Conducted independent external reviews of managed care appeals, advised reviewers on medical/legal issues.
Most legal consultants use their skills in "litigation," "regulatory compliance," and "legal research" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential legal consultant responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a legal consultant 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 legal consultant resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "analyzed and researched thousands of time-sensitive electronic documents for a major commercial litigation case; assessed relevance and attorney-client privilege determination"
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform legal consultant duties is interpersonal skills. Legal consultants responsibilities require that "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." Legal consultants also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "employed interpersonal skills with outside counsel regarding litigation strategies for unresolved matters against the company. "
Problem-solving skills. legal consultants are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to legal consultant responsibilities, because "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." A legal consultant resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "advised business owners and hr in wage and hour compliance, hiring and termination safeguards, mediation and workplace conflict resolution. "
Research skills. legal consultant responsibilities often require "research skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." This resume example shows what legal consultants do with research skills on a typical day: "drafted and reviewed contractual agreements, analyzed case law, managed documents and provided litigation research and motion strategy. "
The three companies that hire the most legal consultants are:
- RELX14 legal consultants jobs
- Ernst & Young9 legal consultants jobs
- MassMutual2 legal consultants jobs
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Compare different legal consultants
Legal consultant vs. Attorney
Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense. Attorneys must acquire strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to mediate disputes and settle pending litigation for the client's best interest. In some cases, an attorney's procedure depends on any evidence and research presented during the trial period. An attorney is expected to present clients on legal proceedings, seeking justice and justifying the law.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, legal consultant responsibilities require skills like "financial statements," "client relationships," "service agreements," and "confidentiality agreements." Meanwhile a typical attorney has skills in areas such as "appeals," "probate," "social security," and "law practice." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that attorneys earn slightly differ from legal consultants. In particular, attorneys are 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a legal consultant. Additionally, they're 12.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Legal consultant vs. Attorney at law
An Attorney at Law is responsible for preparing and examining contracts involving leases, licenses, purchases, sales, etc. They advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, or legal rights and obligations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that legal consultant responsibilities requires skills like "regulatory compliance," "financial statements," "client relationships," and "service agreements." But an attorney at law might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "probate," "criminal defense," "child support," and "labor law."
Attorneys at law may earn a higher salary than legal consultants, but attorneys at law earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $120,546. On the other hand, legal consultants receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $114,368.In general, attorneys at law achieve lower levels of education than legal consultants. They're 6.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 12.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for legal consultants in the next 3-5 years?
Shelley Sadin
Associate Dean of Professional and Career Development, Quinnipiac University
Legal consultant vs. Council member
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a legal consultant is likely to be skilled in "litigation," "regulatory compliance," "legal research," and "financial statements," while a typical council member is skilled in "public policy," "finance committee," "community outreach," and "alumni."
Council members typically earn similar educational levels compared to legal consultants. Specifically, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 31.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Legal consultant vs. Lawyer
Types of legal consultant
Updated January 8, 2025
