Becoming a Corporate Lawyer

So all this talk about company law has got you excited. Congratulations, you are a unique individual who may be up to the task of becoming a corporate lawyer—one of the most lucrative professions in the country. These are the law experts who help the corporate “person” in its contracts and dealings with other businesses, and who also deal with intra-corporation issues, like properly filing taxes and handling labor disputes.

The Basics

Your specialization to corporate lawyer will largely take place after you finish law school and pass the bar exam. Up until then, all lawyers follow a similar path. First, of course, they must complete an undergraduate degree. Although law schools are happy to accept students of all backgrounds, particular fields like political science or history can be a helpful. Then, you must take the LSAT and perform well. This test is scaled from 120-180; students who hope to enter a top 25 law school must perform better than around 90% of their peers on the test. While in law school, students take an array of courses covering all different types of law. Upon completing of law school, they must pass the bar exam. Then they will become licensed lawyers, ready to begin their professional experience.

Corporate Law  

The tasks and work environment of a corporate lawyer largely depend on the size of the corporation they work for. In a small company, they may be the only lawyer, and may be a jack-of-all trades type when it comes to settling employee or labor problems, filing taxes, or arranging stock options. In a larger corporation, corporate lawyers will be on a team with other lawyers, whose expertise may be wide-ranging. A chemical corporation, for example, may need to also keep an environmental lawyer on staff to help them comply with particular regulations.

Corporate law is one of the most demanding fields of law, especially for a new lawyer. New corporate lawyers can expect to work long hours, even upwards of 12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. The work certainly pays well, however. New corporate lawyers their first year in a corporation shouldn’t be surprised when they're offered upwards of $125,000 a year.

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