Articles in Career DevelopmentArticles in EntrepreneurshipArticles in Health & SafetyArticles in Job SearchArticles in Salary / BenefitsArticles in WorkplaceCorporate LawyerA Day in the life of a Corporate Lawyer The lawyer must ensure that a transaction does not conflict with local, state, or federal laws. In contrast to the adversarial nature of trial law, corporate law is team-oriented. The corporate counsel for both sides of a transaction are not strict competitors; together they seek a common ground for their clients. They are, in the words of one lawyer, “the handmaidens of the deal.” Facilitating the business process requires insight into the clients needs, selective expertise, flexibility and most of all, a service mentality. Corporate law requires an incisive mind and excellent communication skills, both written and oral. Through the negotiation process, lawyers constantly write and revise the legal documents which will bind the parties to certain terms for the transaction. This process is lengthy and typically corporate lawyers work extremely long hours. As a deal moves towards its closing, it becomes an exercise in stamina as much as skillful negotiation. As one person observed, “The most important trait a lawyer can have is a leather-ass. You’ve got to be able to put your butt in a chair and do the work.” The upside to this profession is the compensation is good and you usually work with smart people. One corporate lawyer remarked that she liked this side of the law precisely because the transactions take place among peers: There is no wronged party, no underdog, and usually no inequity in the financial means of the participants. Source : Princeton Review
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