Corporate Counsel Job Descriptions, Average Salary, Interview Questions

[Your Company Name] is searching for an experienced corporate counsel. We are in need of an exceptionally responsible candidate with great communication, analytical, and negotiation skills. A corporate counsel develops the organization’s policies on issues related to the industry, corporate governance, and regulatory matters. If you have experience as an attorney or in managing a company’s legal affairs, you may be an ideal candidate for a position as a member of our staff. 

Typical duties and responsibilities

• Negotiate employee contracts
• Prepare and file government reports
• Draft legal documents
• Review new business relationships with vendors and subcontractors
• Guide managers on regulatory and compliance matters
• Administer training workshops
• Formulate employee handbooks
• Analyze legal issues relating to proposed products
• Represent the corporation before administrative boards and court trials
• Provide supervision to outside lawyers hired to assist the corporation with their specialized legal services
• Structure joint enterprises with other organizations

Education and experience

This position requires a Juris Doctorate as well as a license to practice law in the state where the candidate will work. A background in business and the industry in which the company does business are preferred.

Required skills and qualifications

• Written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge of federal and state business laws and regulations
• Administrative skills
• Research skills
• Analytical thinking
• Negotiation skills
• Managerial skills

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of applicable legal and regulatory requirements relating to contracts, licensing, software as a service, marketing, technology, privacy and security
• Experience in analysis, review, and drafting of complex vendor contracts required
• Works well with internal “clients” and other stakeholders

ABC Company has an Associate Corporate Counsel position available in the Charlotte, NC office. This position has visibility and interaction with senior management and offers career advancement.

Responsibilities:

• Working with business leaders and corporate staff to articulate risks and benefits of legal strategy
• Developing strategies for, managing, and resolving a wide variety of investigations, litigation and pre-litigation disputes
• Providing strategic litigation advice to the business
• Helping lines of business develop and implement processes, procedures, and systems to promote risk avoidance and prevent litigation
• Coordinating with outside counsel to assure they represent the company’s best interest
• Work closely with other departments within the company on various issues.

Qualifications:

• Must be licensed in North Carolina
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• 3+ years of litigation experience.
• Experience in Bankruptcy and Replevins a plus.

Job summary

Provide legal support on a wide range of corporate matters, reporting to the Company’s Associate General Counsel – Corporate. Responsibilities include supporting the company’s corporate governance function and public company securities law requirements, providing assistance for M&A and financing transactions, reviewing, and negotiating various transactional documents and providing thoughtful legal counsel on a multitude of Company-related business issues.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Assist with corporate governance and the corporate secretary function
• Draft board and committee materials
• Draft resolutions, consents, governing documents, certificates, and minutes
• Draft portions of and assist with SEC filings, including proxy, registration statements and Section 16 filings
• Draft and maintain governance-related policies and procedures
• Maintain corporate calendar
• Assist with insider trading compliance program oversight
• Assist with M&A and securities offerings
• Provide legal counsel and guidance to managers, business leaders and sales professionals relating to the Company’s business activities
• Appropriately identify and analyze legal issues with an understanding of how to appropriately balance risk and the Company’s ability to pursue its business interests
• Develop and conduct legal trainings on various legal topics relevant to risk management
• Respond promptly to the business while delivering efficient and high-quality legal service
• Flexibility to work on a wide range of projects and with those at various levels within the organization

Minimum requirements

• Juris Doctorate (JD) from ABA accredited university, membership in good standing of State Bar
• 4+ years legal experience with an emphasis in securities, M&A and corporate law
• The position requires excellent organization, prioritization and multitasking skills, practical and effective problem-solving skills, strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills, and the ability to exercise sound judgment, commercially focused legal advice and appropriately consider risks to the Company. Exceptional attention to detail is also critical for this role. Candidate must be able to interact effectively and collaboratively with the Company’s executives, professionals, staff and other employees, as well as with legal colleagues within the same department and globally, and outside counsel
• It is also very important that the candidate works well independently and within a team environment, both in person and virtually

Acts as a legal advisor to assigned internal clients (including the range of company businesses and functions) Identifies legal risk and recommends solutions that help address the client’s objectives. Represents company in transactions, interactions or disputes with customers, suppliers, partners, and competitors. Balances the business interests of client groups with ultimate fiduciary responsibility to company. Represents the company before industry policy setting organizations, government agencies and other regulatory bodies.

Responsibilities

• Provides legal expertise to support client decisions in a sub-region and/or business unit or function
• Develops risk profiles addressing complex commercial or specialty law
• Promotes legal awareness and leads legal training activities for clients
• Identifies, analyzes and resolves complex legal issues
• Concurrently works on multiple legal issues and projects for various client organizations

Education and experience required

• Advanced university degree in law (e.g. JD or LLB)
• Meets local legal license requirements
• Typically 4-6 years commercial legal experience at a law firm or in-house
• Well developed level of business experience supporting clients or advising on specialty law matters

Knowledge and skills

• Well developed breadth of practical legal and business knowledge, as well as in-depth knowledge in one or more practice areas
• Good knowledge of company policies and procedures
• Well-developed competence and experience in negotiating or advising on legal and business matters, or focused competency in particular practice areas
• Able to translate complex legal or factual issues into plain language communications
• English language skills to business standard preferred