What Do Corporate Lawyers Do

I’ve been practicing in corporate law for 16 years and work from a partnership, Christianson Goens PLC.

My tasks in practicing law are primarily drafting documents and secondarily having calls with clients. Typically, clients tell me what they want to accomplish, I advise on the best way to get there (or whether they should revise their goal and why) and draft the documents to make it happen.

My typical day

First thing in the morning I check my calendar for the day’s appointments. Then I go through my email and prioritize the tasks for the day. Most of my work is “outsourced general counsel” work for a few small companies. These clients need consistent legal counsel but are not yet large enough to need in-house counsel full time, so I’m like a fractional general counsel. I help them strategize re: relationships with other companies (vendors, customers, manufacturers, etc.), set up the structure for new investments and determine the terms, and also review and draft their contracts.

Once I determine the priorities for the day, I communicate with the relevant clients – either by phone, text, or email, whichever is most appropriate – to ensure we are on the same page as far as the objectives. Then I draft documents or have phone calls with third parties – whichever is needed to drive their objective forward. Some days are very quiet with hours at the computer, while some days are back-to-back calls, and some are a mix. For example, I have a client that is in the security space. They recently worked with a third party who invented a new device for security. In order for my client to market that product, we discussed the terms that we wanted between my client and the manufacturer. We negotiated that agreement for months, revising the written agreement draft as we went. On the front end, that company also needed a customer agreement and to assess other marketing-related issues.

Pros

Corporate law is a bit like being the bumpers in a bowling lane. My clients are bright and innovative people. I get super excited about their ideas and businesses, and I want to see them succeed and grow. To do that, they need to avoid unnecessary risks (like entering into a contract that requires them to be lucky in order not to breach or makes them responsible for paying a third party before they have been paid) and set up clear terms, both among the partners and also between their company and other companies. This work can be very rewarding. Corporate law lacks a lot of the stress in other areas of law, like family law (think divorce and child custody) and litigation (lawsuits), because there’s usually not much animosity and no court deadlines. Rather, in business, the parties are excited for their business plan.

Cons

The cons are that there are other types of stress. Negotiating a deal with high financial stakes for your client can be very stressful, and handling closings with tight deadlines can mean long work days or late nights. Long contracts can also be tedious and boring.

Advice to graduating law students

The practice of law is changing significantly. Graduating law students should consider whether they are best off joining a traditional law firm or a firm that is more forward-thinking.