Corporate Lawyer CV Examples & Templates
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Corporate lawyers play a crucial role in the world of business, serving as legal advisors and advocates for companies and other business entities.
Explore our guide on how to write a corporate lawyer CV and browse professionally crafted corporate lawyer CV examples to craft a job application that will win you interviews.
Use this corporate lawyer CV sample to get started, or check out our library of CV templates to find one that matches your specific style.
Corporate lawyer CV sample (text version)
Shirley McCollum
555 555 5555
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Summary Statement
Accomplished corporate lawyer with over a decade of experience providing expert legal counsel to businesses on complex transactions, regulatory compliance and corporate governance. Proven track record of negotiating favorable deals, mitigating risks and ensuring legal compliance. Adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams and delivering strategic solutions to drive business success.
Core Qualifications
- Corporate law
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Contract negotiation
- Securities regulation
- Corporate governance
- Due diligence
- Legal research
- Risk management
- Regulatory compliance
- Dispute resolution
Education
- Stetson University College of Law Gulfport, FL
J.D. Law - University of South Florida Tampa, FL
Bachelor of Science Business Management
Work Experience
November 2018 – Current
PSCU Financial Services – Tampa, FL
Corporate Attorney
- Advise clients on mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, resulting in successful transactions worth over $100 million.
- Draft documents for acquisition and merger cases and ensure every aspect complies with the law.
- Report to senior partners about how certain cases are progressing and recommend new courses of action for when a case has become stagnant.
- Negotiate complex commercial contracts, minimizing legal risks and ensuring favorable terms for clients.
September 2015 – October 2018
Citi – Tampa, FL
Corporate Lawyer
- Drafted, reviewed and negotiated contracts, agreements and other legal documents to protect the interests of 12 clients while ensuring legal compliance.
- Ensured all important documents were filed with the Secretary of State before deadlines.
- Acted as an executor for over a dozen companies’ estates.
- Provided legal counsel on corporate governance matters, including board meetings and shareholder relations.
June 2012 – August 2013
Wilkes & Associates – Tampa, FL
Assistant Counsel
- Worked with senior lawyers to determine probable outcomes of cases.
- Selected jurors and complied with all state regulations concerning trial proceedings.
- Gathered evidence and worked with an investigative team to strengthen 10 cases.
- Researched and interpreted laws, rulings and regulations to advise clients on business and legal transactions.
Conference Presentations
- Contract Review and Negotiation Today – (2023)
- Business Ethics in the Corporate Culture; An Examinations of Ethics in the Practice – (2022)
- Client Representation Advisement Conference – (2019)
Conference Attendance
- Preventing Recurring Errors on Appeal – Prosecutorial Error, online – (2023)
- Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), Las Vegas, NV – (2022)
- Legal Week 2022, NY, NY – (2022)
- Clio Cloud Conference, virtual – (2022)
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
- American Bar Association (ABA) – (2023)
- Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) – (2022)
- Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) – (2021)
Certifications and Licenses
- Attorney License, Florida State Bar Association – (2023)
- Certified Corporate Attorney (CCA) – (2023)
- Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor – ( (CM&AA) – (2021)
- Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM) – (2018)
Profession Relevant Skills
- Intricate understanding of business law at state and national levels.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills to aid in properly presenting positions, arguing cases and getting positive outcomes for clients.
- Proficient in legal research, intellectual property protection, dispute resolution and management.
- Strong background in due diligence, drafting transaction documents and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to network and develop connections while at conferences and presentations.
- Experience using accounting and data mining software and tools such as LexisNexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law.
- Complex problem-solving skills to help both sides settle with negotiations.
Hobbies and Interests
While my career takes up most of my time, I do enjoy jet skiing when I have the opportunity. I own my gear, so when friends or family members are in town, we always head over to the beach for a few hours of relaxation.
Important CV sections
Contact details
It’s important to add your contact information at the top of your CV so that hiring managers are able to reach out to schedule an interview. Make sure to include your full name, city, state, ZIP code, phone number and email address. You can also include a link to your professional website or career networking profile if you have one. See our guide on how to write a CV for additional guidance and examples.
Professional summary
Start your corporate lawyer CV with a professional summary that matches the job description, showing alignment between the role’s requirements and your skills and experience. Here is an example of a professional summary for a corporate lawyer CV:
Highly accomplished corporate lawyer with extensive experience providing comprehensive legal counsel to diverse businesses. Prove ability to draft and negotiate intricate contracts, ensuring regulatory compliance and mitigating risks. Adept at guiding clients through complex M&A transactions, securities offerings and corporate governance matters. Strong analytical and communication skills coupled with a demonstrated commitment to achieving optimal legal solutions for clients.
Be sure to read the employer’s key requirements so you can highlight your strongest job-relevant skills and experience in the professional summary.
Skills
Strong corporate lawyer CVs include a balance of hard skills and soft skills that are relevant to the job. Here are a few examples of skills to potentially include on a corporate lawyer CV:
- Legal expertise
- Contract drafting and negotiation
- Due diligence
- Legal research
- Financial acumen
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Analytical thinking
- Attention to detail
- Time management
Create a dedicated skills section on your CV and list six to eight job-relevant skills using bullet points.
Work history
Be sure to include a work history section on your corporate lawyer CV and aim to feature key accomplishments from past roles that will resonate with prospective employers. For example, you could mention success metrics related to negotiating contracts, protecting intellectual property or saving the company money.
Here are a few examples of measurable achievements you could include in the work history section of your CV:
- Negotiated a multimillion dollar contract with a key supplier, reducing procurement costs by 10% and ensuring timely delivery of essential goods.
- Secured a patent for a new product line that generated $5M in revenue within the first year of launch, contributing to a 15% increase in the company’s overall market share.
- Streamlined the contract review process by implementing a new legal technology solution, reducing average turnaround time by 40% and saving $50K in annual fees.
Explore our guide on crafting an effective work experience section for additional tips and examples from career advice experts.
Education
A CV for a corporate lawyer must include a dedicated education section that displays the appropriate credentials. Include the name of each school you attended and the degree conferred.
Typically, employers will expect corporate lawyers to have a bachelor’s degree, a Juris Doctor degree and a bar license authorizing you to practice law in your state. Most states also require lawyers to participate in continuing legal education programs to stay updated on legal developments and maintain their licenses.
Some employers, though, might also like to see various certifications or a master of law degree in your area of specialty like corporate law, securities law or tax law. Pay careful attention to the education requirements outlined in each job description and ensure that you have the necessary qualifications highlighted in your education section.
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Action verbs for your CV
Every CV for a corporate lawyer should include action verbs that effectively highlight your skills, experiences and achievements. Consider some of the following action verbs for your CV:
- Negotiated
- Drafted
- Advised
- Managed
- Mitigated
- Restructured
- Represented
- Secured
- Analyzed
- Executed
- Resolved
- Ensured
- Collaborated
- Implemented
Use our CV Maker for expertly crafted templates and ready-made content suggestions written by certified career experts.
Best skills for your CV
Include a dedicated skills section on your corporate lawyer CV to list your strongest job-relevant skills. Here are a few examples of skills for a corporate lawyer CV:
- Legal research and analysis
- Contract drafting and negotiation
- Securities law compliance
- Corporate governance
- Regulatory compliance
- Intellectual property law
- Commercial litigation
- Due diligence
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Client counseling and advocacy
- Written and verbal communication
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Prioritization
Browse our library of CV examples for samples of how you can effectively list skills on your CV.
Certifications for your CV
Corporate lawyers must be licensed to practice law in their state in order to work. Aside from the required credentials, you can also obtain various certifications to further demonstrate your expertise. For example:
- Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP)
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
- Certified Mediator or Arbitrator
- Certified Licensing Professional (CLP)
- Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Specialist (CM&AS)
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
You can create a separate section on your CV to list your relevant certifications. Refer to our corporate lawyer CV examples for the best methods for crafting this section.
Pair your CV with a matching cover letter
FAQ
How do I make my corporate lawyer CV stand out?
To make your corporate lawyer CV stand out, you can try implementing a few different strategies that will help you highlight your unique qualifications, experiences and achievements. Here are some tips:
- Use a professional design: Ensure your CV is well-formatted, easy to read and visually appealing. Use a clean layout, professional font and appropriate spacing to enhance readability.
- Showcase your passion: Your CV should convey your deep interest in corporate law and dedication to providing legal counsel and advocacy to businesses, whether through your professional summary, achievements or work experiences.
- Include relevant keywords: Incorporate keywords from the job description into your CV to demonstrate that you’re a good fit for that specific role and increase your chances of being scored highly by an applicant tracking system (ATS) that might screen your CV.
- Provide specific examples: Use specific instances from your experience to illustrate your relevant skills and abilities and provide context to the keywords you include.
Interested in exploring how you can use AI to support your writing process? See our ChatGPT CV guide for tips and precautions from career advice experts.
How do you write a professional summary for a corporate lawyer CV?
A professional summary, positioned at the top of your corporate lawyer CV, is your first chance to catch the attention of the hiring manager. Aim to be clear and concise, quickly communicating the relevant skills and experience that you can bring to the role.
Pay careful attention to job descriptions, then tailor and edit your professional summary with each application so you are focusing on aspects of your background that will be most relevant and impactful to each specific employer.
If this is your first professional role or you are attempting to make a career change, you can consider crafting an objective statement instead.
How long should a corporate lawyer CV be?
Your CV’s length may vary depending on the level of experience you possess. In the U.S., CVs are typically used for academic or research positions and can exceed three pages in some instances.
A good practice that you can apply to your corporate lawyer CV is to include one full page for every 10 years of relevant experience that you have.
You should aim to tailor your CV to the specific job to which you are applying and prioritize information that most closely demonstrates your relevant abilities and required qualifications for that particular role.
For additional details and helpful information about what differentiates these two types of documents, see our guide on CVs versus resumes.
Best practices
- Use measurable achievements, like “Spearheaded the legal due diligence for a $50M acquisition, identifying and mitigating potential risks that led to a successful and seamless transaction.”
- Use action words to add impact to your CV for a corporate lawyer role.
- Tailor your CV to your target corporate lawyer job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your corporate lawyer CV.
- Format your corporate lawyer CV so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your legal experience and skills. Instead, provide tangible examples of your experience practicing corporate law or other relevant areas.
- Boast about your “unparalleled” expertise in the area of business law.
- Include irrelevant personal information, such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that aren’t relevant to a corporate lawyer role.
- Forget to proofread. A corporate lawyer CV with errors is unprofessional.
Interview tips
Learn about the company before your interview.
Demonstrating knowledge of the company or organization during the job interview process can impress potential employers and show your genuine interest in joining their team.
Familiarize yourself with the company’s mission, values and culture. Learn about its product offerings, target markets and competitors so you know what sets them apart within the industry.
Researching recent news about the company, any new initiatives they may be implementing or even customer reviews can provide insight into their dedication to delivering high-quality deliverables to key stakeholders.
Practice.
A little practice now will go a long way during your interview. To practice for your interview, start by reviewing the most common behavioral interview questions, such as:
- If there was one area you’ve always wanted to improve upon, what would that be?
- How has your education prepared you for your career?
- Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
Also, it’s a good idea to prepare for potential role-specific questions, such as:
- Can you describe a complex transaction or legal issue you handled, highlighting your specific role, the challenges you faced and the outcome?
- How do you stay updated on changes in corporate law and regulations relevant to our industry?
- Describe your experience working with various stakeholders, like executives, board members and other legal professionals.
- Can you give an example of a time when you identified and helped resolve a potential legal risk on behalf of a client?
- How would you handle a situation where business decisions conflict with legal advice that you’ve given?
Ask questions.
Your interviewer typically will ask if you have any questions about the role at the end of your session. You should always have at least three questions ready to ask them.
Job candidates who don’t ask questions are less likely to get hired because hiring managers assume they aren’t interested in the position and won’t put much thought into it.
Some questions you might ask for a corporate lawyer job are:
- Can you describe a typical day or week for a corporate lawyer in this role?
- What are the most pressing legal challenges the company is currently facing and how would this position contribute to addressing them?
- How does the legal department collaborate with other teams within the company?
- What are some of the company’s goals for the next year and how does the legal team contribute to achieving them?
- Are there opportunities to take on leadership roles or specialize in particular areas of corporate law within the company?
Have references ready.
Having professional references ready before your interview will prepare you in case the hiring manager decides to move forward. Create a list of two former colleagues and a former manager who would be willing to speak about your legal knowledge and abilities and who you know will give you a stellar review. It’s even better if they’re open to writing a letter of recommendation for you.
If you are applying for your first full-time paid job in corporate law, it’s acceptable to get contacts from a former professor, internship manager, associate program leader or classmate who will provide positive feedback about your ability to perform the job.
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Corporate Lawyer
Dr. Jasmine Escalera, a seasoned Career Expert with 15+ years of experience, dedicated to supporting professionals in finding the right roles, fostering inclusive workplaces, and advocating for equitable pay.
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