What Counsel Jobs Entail

The thing about counsel careers is that there is much more to it than simply representing individuals in the courtroom. This is because counsel employment includes overseeing the entire firm as a whole, so this individual must be certain that no laws are ever being broken. The counsel must be aware of every single transaction and every case that is occurring within the firm, as there is a great deal that can go wrong if this does not happen. For these reasons, only individuals who have been with a company for a long time and have proven themselves to be great employees consistently are considered for general counsel jobs at any time.

Those who end up with counsel jobs will be the most senior attorney within a firm or company. In almost every case, those who receive counsel work have been promoted from within a company and have usually started at the bottom. While it is possible for a newer employee to end up in this position, especially if he or she has held the position at another law firm, it is generally expected that the counsel will have some experience with the company, since he or she will need to have the respect of everyone there.


Having a great deal of integrity is necessary for these counsel careers, as there will be cases where a good business decision will not necessarily be a good legal decision. Those who have earned counsel employment are supposed to uphold the legality of their practice in all cases, so they will be forced to choose between these two things. Anyone who has earned one of these general counsel jobs will know what the right thing to do is and will not have his or her mind changed by anyone. This is one of the most important attributes and it will help the firm run much more smoothly. Those with counsel jobs must also be able to discuss legal matter efficiently with other attorneys, as they are looked upon for advice in particularly difficult cases.

In order to receive counsel work, an individual will usually need a Juris Doctorate degree and will need to have passed that state's bar exam. Years of work experience is also necessary for counsel careers, although there is no set amount of experience that is needed. Business experience could also be a plus, especially if the counsel will be working directly for a corporation at any point, as some of your responsibilities will involve the business side of things.

While this might sound like a lot of work, a counsel is an extremely high paying career, with many wages starting at over $200,000 per year. This is one of the reasons why counsel employment is so difficult to attain, as it is a position that nearly everyone want to be in. If you wish to end up as a counsel, you must be patient and work hard to build respect within the industry. It will not be easy, but it is definitely attainable for the right legal minds, especially those who are committed to this goal.

If you are qualified for one of these general counsel jobs, but do not know where to start looking LawCrossing.com is definitely the place to start your search. This website has thousands of jobs in all legal fields available and will surely help you find a number of job leads. Best of all, a FREE trial is available for all users, so there is no risk in signing up. Make sure that you visit this website soon, as countless people are finding the jobs of their dreams each and every day through this remarkable service.