As a corporate lawyer, articulating the breadth and impact of your complex transactional experience can be a daunting resume challenge. Our guide offers targeted strategies to help you distill dense legal work into compelling bullet points that resonate with hiring managers and set you apart.
- Get inspired from our corporate lawyer resume samples with industry-leading skills, certifications, and more.
- Show how you can impact the organization with your resume summary and experience.
- Introducing your unique corporate lawyer expertise with a focus on tangible results and achievements.
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The ultimate formula for your corporate lawyer resume format
Our best advice on how to style your corporate lawyer resume is this - first, take the time to study the job advert requirements.
The resume format you select should ultimately help you better align how your experience matches the specific role.
There are four crucial elements you need to thus take into consideration:
- How you present your experience. If you happen to have plenty of relevant expertise, select the reverse-chronological resume format to organize your experience by dates, starting with the latest.
- Don't go over the top with writing your resume. Instead, stick with a maximum of two-page format to feature what matters most about your profile.
- Headers aren't just for "decoration". The header of your resume helps recruiters allocate your contact details, portfolio, and so much more.
- The PDF format rules. It's the most common practice to submit your corporate lawyer resume as a PDF so that your resume doesn't lose its layout. However, make sure the read the job well - in some instances, they might require a doc file.
Consider the local standards – Canadian resumes, for example, may have a different format.
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The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.
Essential sections that should make up your corporate lawyer resume include:
- The header - with your contact details (e.g. email and telephone number), link to your portfolio, and headline
- The summary (or objective) - to spotlight the peaks of your professional career, so far
- The experience section - with up to six bullets per role to detail specific outcomes
- The skills list - to provide a healthy mix between your personal and professional talents
- The education and certification - showing your most relevant degrees and certificates to the corporate lawyer role
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Track record of successful negotiations and contracts management for corporate clients.
- Expertise in corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and securities regulations.
- Experience advising on compliance matters and risk management strategies related to corporate operations.
- Proven ability to work with cross-functional teams and facilitate communication between legal and business units.
- Demonstrated skills in drafting, reviewing, and amending a variety of corporate legal documents such as bylaws, resolutions, and corporate policies.
Quick formula for writing your corporate lawyer resume experience section
Have you ever wondered why recruiters care about your corporate lawyer expertise?
For starters, your past roles show that you've obtained the relevant on-the job training and expertise that'd be useful for the role.
What is more, the resume work experience section isn't just your work history , but:
- shows what you're capable of achieving based on your past success;
- proves your skills with (oftentimes, tangible) achievements;
- highlights the unique value of what it's like to work with you.
To ensure your resume work experience section is as effective as possible, follow this formula:
- start each bullet with a powerful, action verb , followed up by your responsibilities, and your workplace success.
The more details you can include - that are relevant to the job and linked with your skill set - the more likely you are to catch recruiters' attention.
Additionally, you can also scan the job advert for key requirements or buzzwords , which you can quantify across your experience section.
Not sure what we mean by this? Take inspiration from the corporate lawyer resume experience sections below:
- Managed complex legal transactions for mergers and acquisitions, valuing over $500 million for a Fortune 500 company, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws.
- Negotiated over 150 commercial contracts per year, resulting in a 15% increase in cost-efficiency through strategic vendor partnerships.
- Directed corporate governance for the company, facilitating the successful restructuring of the corporate entity to optimize operational efficiency.
- Provided legal advice on securities regulation compliance, implementing a system that decreased regulatory infractions by 20% over two years.
- Assisted in the formation of over 80 subsidiary companies, navigating multiple jurisdictions and international law considerations.
- Instrumental in negotiating and closing equity financing rounds exceeding $300 million, attracting key investors and stakeholders.
- Oversaw due diligence for global transactions, identifying and mitigating risks in deals worth over $750 million.
- Developed and implemented a corporate compliance program that reduced litigation exposure by 25% within the first year.
- Crafted and executed intellectual property protection strategies, securing patents and trademarks for the company’s most valuable assets.
- Advised on labor and employment issues, reducing litigation risks by enforcing proactive legal policies for a workforce of over 10,000 employees.
- Represented the company in high-stakes litigation, achieving a 90% success rate in defense verdicts.
- Implemented a comprehensive risk management framework for cross-border transactions which streamlined process efficiency by 30%.
- Acted as lead counsel on international trade compliance, enhancing global operations by aligning procedures with trade legislation.
- Facilitated a corporate-wide training program on regulatory compliance, significantly reducing the likelihood of inadvertent infractions.
- Led legal analysis for strategic partnerships, contributing to a 10% year-over-year revenue growth through meticulously crafted joint venture agreements.
- Advised executive management on legal implications of corporate strategies, empowering informed decision-making for long-term business plans.
- Played a key role in the establishment of the company’s data privacy protocols in accordance with GDPR, enhancing the trust and confidence of European partners and customers.
- Coordinated the legal aspects of divestitures and spin-offs that refocused business operations and unlocked $420 million in shareholder value.
- Headed legal support for the environmental compliance sector, reducing penalties associated with environmental infractions by 50%.
- Liaised with regulatory bodies to influence emerging legislation affecting the sector, ensuring the company's business model remained ahead of legal trends.
- Conducted internal audits on anti-corruption practices that fortified company policies and reduced risk of FCPA violations.
- Executed detailed legal strategies for intellectual property litigation, which enhanced protection of the company’s assets and mitigated risk of IP theft.
- Collaborated with international counsel to harmonize cross-border M&A activity with local regulations, supporting the successful integration of newly acquired entities.
- Authored and negotiated complex software licensing agreements for proprietary technology, contributing to a 12% increase in licensing revenue.
The following content includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top responsibilities present on the task lists for corporate lawyer professionals.
Top Responsibilities for Corporate Lawyer:
- Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
- Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
- Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
- Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
- Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
- Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
- Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.
- Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases.
- Negotiate settlements of civil disputes.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the total value of transactions or deals you have facilitated or worked on to demonstrate your experience with high-stakes legal matters.
- State the number of successful mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures you have been involved in to showcase your expertise in corporate restructuring.
- List the percentage decrease in legal expenses due to your strategic advice or efficiency improvements to highlight your cost-saving abilities.
- Mention the number of patent filings, trademarks registered, or intellectual property disputes handled to show your contribution to protecting company assets.
- Specify the volume of compliance or regulatory issues resolved to emphasize your risk management skills.
- Count the number of contracts negotiated and drafted, highlighting your role in securing favorable business terms.
- Quantify the size of the legal teams you have managed or trained to underscore your leadership and mentorship capacities.
- Report on the growth percentage of your client base or billable hours to illustrate business development success.
Action verbs for your corporate lawyer resume
Experience section for candidates with zero-to-none experience
While you may have less professional experience in the field, that doesn't mean you should leave this section of your resume empty or blank.
Consider these four strategies on how to substitute the lack of experience with:
- Volunteer roles - as part of the community, you've probably gained valuable people (and sometimes even technological capabilities) that could answer the job requirements
- Research projects - while in your university days, you may have been part of some cutting-edge project to benefit the field. Curate this within your experience section as a substitute for real-world experience
- Internships - while you may consider that that summer internship in New York was solely mandatory to your degree, make sure to include it as part of your experience, if it's relevant to the role
- Irrelevant previous jobs - instead of detailing the technologies you've learned, think about the transferable skills you've gained.
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If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
Creating your corporate lawyer resume skills section: balancing hard skills and soft skills
Recruiters hiring for corporate lawyer roles are always keen on hiring candidates with relevant technical and people talents. Hard skills or technical ones are quite beneficial for the industry - as they refer to your competency with particular software and technologies. Meanwhile, your soft (or people) skills are quite crucial to yours and the company's professional growth as they detail how you'd cooperate and interact in your potential environment. Here's how to describe your hard and soft skill set in your corporate lawyer resume:
- Consider what the key job requirements are and list those towards the top of your skills section.
- Think of individual, specific skills that help you stand out amongst competitors, and detail how they've helped you succeed in the past.
- Look to the future of the industry and list all software/technologies which are forward-facing.
- Create a separate, technical skills section to supplement your experience and further align with the corporate lawyer job advert. Find the perfect balance between your resume hard and soft skills with our two lists.
Top skills for your corporate lawyer resume:
Contract Drafting
Legal Research
Litigation Management
Compliance Management Software
Case Management Software
E-discovery Tools
Document Automation Tools
Corporate Governance Tools
Intellectual Property Management Software
Regulatory Compliance Tools
Analytical Thinking
Negotiation Skills
Attention to Detail
Communication Skills
Problem-Solving
Time Management
Interpersonal Skills
Decision-Making
Adaptability
Conflict Resolution
Next, you will find information on the top technologies for corporate lawyer professonals from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Top technologies for Corporate Lawyer’s resume:
- LexisNexis CaseMap
- Microsoft Access
- IDEA TrialPro
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Office SharePoint Server MOSS
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Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
Maximizing your corporate lawyer resume: education and certification sections
To effectively showcase your industry knowledge in your corporate lawyer resume, it's important to properly list your education and certifications.
For the education section, ensure you include:
- Higher education degrees pertinent to the industry or those at a postgraduate level;
- The start and end dates of your education, along with the name of the institution you graduated from;
- Your GPA and relevant coursework, but only if they are impressive and applicable to the role.
Additionally, create a separate certifications section to spotlight your most notable recognitions. Another excellent place to feature a leading industry certificate is in your resume header, right after your name.
Below is a list of key industry certifications that are often sought after by recruiters
The top 5 certifications for your corporate lawyer resume:
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Certification (CIArb) – Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Master of Laws (LL.M.) – Various accredited law schools
- Legal Project Practitioner (LPP) – International Institute of Legal Project Management
- Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) – Compliance Certification Board
The content below includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top associations for corporate lawyer professionals.
Top US associations for a Corporate Lawyer professional
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- American Health Lawyers Association
- DRI
- Federal Bar Association
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Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
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Adding a summary or objective to your corporate lawyer resume
One of the most crucial elements of your professional presentation is your resume's top one-third. This most often includes:
- Either a resume summary - your career highlights at a glance. Select the summary if you have plenty of relevant experience (and achievements), you'd like recruiters to remember about your application.
- Or, a resume objective - to showcase your determination for growth. The perfect choice for candidates with less experience, who are looking to grow their career in the field.
If you want to go above and beyond with your corporate lawyer resume summary or resume objective, make sure to answer precisely why recruiters need to hire you. What is the additional value you'd provide to the company or organization? Now here are examples from real-life corporate lawyer professionals, whose resumes have helped them land their dream jobs:
Resume summaries for a corporate lawyer job
- Seasoned corporate lawyer with 15 years of experience in top-tier law firms, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Recognized for expertise in complex contract negotiations, compliance, and governance. Secured a landmark $5 billion merger deal for a Fortune 500 company, underscoring a track record of delivering significant value to clients.
- Accomplished litigator and corporate counsel with over a decade of experience at a prestigious legal practice in New York. Adept at shareholder relations, intellectual property protection, and corporate strategy planning. Played a pivotal role in winning a high-profile patent infringement case that saved the client $300 million in potential losses.
- Former financial analyst with extensive understanding of corporate fiscal strategies transitioning to corporate law. Brings in-depth knowledge of market trends and economic regulations with a fresh approach to legal solutions. Excelled in corporate forecasting, yielding a 20% increase in annual returns for the previous employer.
- Distinguished engineer pivoting into the legal sector with a passion for intellectual property law. Strong foundation in technology and patent processes coupled with a recent Juris Doctor degree from a top law school. Recognized for innovative cross-disciplinary projects that enhanced product development timelines by 25%.
- Aspiring corporate lawyer eager to apply a strong academic background in business law to a practical environment. Excels in regulatory compliance and corporate ethics, having achieved top grades in these subjects. Keen to leverage recent internship experiences where strategic advice led to a 15% reduction in risk factors for client projects.
- Dynamic graduate aiming to bring a fresh perspective to corporate law with exceptional research and analytical skills honed through a rigorous intern experience with a leading legal firm. Driven to contribute to complex business transactions and legal challenges while fostering professional development as a corporate attorney.
Average salary info by state in the US for corporate lawyer professionals
Local salary info for Corporate Lawyer.” Source: My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development. Accessed 10/15/2024
| State | Average Salary (in USD) |
|---|---|
| US National Average | $145,760 |
| California (CA) | $185,050 |
| Texas (TX) | $145,000 |
| Florida (FL) | $121,500 |
| New York (NY) | $179,650 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $130,270 |
| Illinois (IL) | $161,880 |
| Ohio (OH) | $117,500 |
| Georgia (GA) | $131,090 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $133,130 |
| Michigan (MI) | $121,760 |
Recruiters' favorite additional corporate lawyer resume sections
When writing your corporate lawyer resume, you may be thinking to yourself, " Is there anything more I can add on to stand out? ".
Include any of the below four sections you deem relevant, to ensure your corporate lawyer resume further builds up your professional and personal profile:
Key takeaways
- Your resume layout plays an important role in presenting your key information in a systematic, strategic manner;
- Use all key resume sections (summary or objective; experience; skills; education and certification) to ensure you’ve shown to recruiters just how your expertise aligns with the role and why you're the best candidate;
- Be specific about listing a particular skill or responsibility you've had by detailing how this has helped the role or organization grow;
- Your personality should shine through your resume via the interests or hobbies, and strengths or accomplishments skills sections;
- Certifications go to provide further accreditation to your technical capabilities, so make sure you've included them within your resume.
