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Additional Law Resume Samples
Legal Counsel Resume Samples
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0-5 years of experience
Enforced essential changes related to the assignment of corporate assets to a newly formed limited liability company.
- Managed outside counsel’s involvement in litigation and negotiations with state agencies and regulatory bodies.
- Drafted and negotiated multi-million dollar contracts including talent, composer, production, manufacturing, service, and distribution agreements.
- Negotiated subrogation claims for product liabilities with insurers and additional component manufactures.
- Developed and managed the multi-million dollar intellectual property portfolio by creating an intellectual property tracking and maintenance database.
- Completed clearance searches, registrations, and response to office actions with the USPTO.
- Approved product packaging and marketing materials for trademark and FTC compliance.
0-5 years of experience
Sole person responsible for all legal affairs of leading clean tech and affiliated construction
companies
- Drafted and negotiated construction contracts based on FIDIC suite of contracts
- Orchestrated the incorporation of 10+ SPVs to facilitate monetization process
- Kept minutes of the Board of Directors and ensured compliance with corporate law
0-5 years of experience
- Joined this newly created claims management company as its legal counsel providing strategic legal advice to senior management.
- Identified proactive solutions to eliminate or mitigate risks on all business transactions.
- Drafted agreements (service, employment, confidentiality, third party administration) that maximized legal rights and minimized risks.
- Ensured company was in compliance with the IRS, the Texas Insurance Commission and all state and federal laws.
- Monitored litigation and coordinated discovery with outside counsel.
0-5 years of experience
In-house attorney with the largest global [company name] provider. Negotiated and drafted multi-million dollar contracts for international deals on four continents.
- Advised on legal matters for profit centers and service departments in over 15 jurisdictions in the Middle East, Mediterranean and South East Asia.
- Advised on the company’s innovative business initiatives including new products, distribution methods, marketing strategies and joint ventures.
- Consulted on facultative reinsurance structures and treaty reinsurance requirements and limitations.
- Ensured compliance with trade sanctions by the United States (OFAC) and the European Union.
6-10 years of experience
Provide primary legal support to Human Resources Department and to Global Business Units and Corporate Services Departments.
- Counsel the various HR Departments regarding day to day employment law matters, including issues arising under FLSA, FMLA, Deferred Compensation Plans, Commission Plans, Health and Welfare Benefits Plans, and HR policies.
- Negotiate contracts with staffing agencies for talent acquisition.
- Successfully reduced consultant liability claim ($288K to $150K), ultimately avoiding millions of dollars in potential future exposure in the event of Department of Labor audit.
- Provided legal support to HR Benefits team responding to year long IRS audit of company’s 401(k) plan, achieving favorable outcome; audit was closed with no monetary exposure.
- Negotiate lease agreement terms and conditions and other documentation for lease and loan financings and syndication transactions and structure, negotiate and draft equipment financing program agreements.
0-5 years of experience
Assisted the legal counsel division with updating existing bank policies and regulations in order to stay in compliance with national banking laws.
- Provided assistance to the legal counsel division with drafting legal memorandums related to seeking liquidation of a firm for non-payment of corporate debt.
- Researched existing laws related to distressed corporate securities for the bank’s investment division in order to provide advice on legal options in treating outstanding corporate liabilities.
- Helped the debt collection team in preparing recovery notices to credit card holders for late payments on existing loan balances.
0-5 years of experience
- Conducted extensive research and prepared memoranda and provided opinion for committee members on diverse legal issues.
- Supervised legal department including attorneys and research staff in all committee business.
- Drafted and amended legislation concerning judges, attorneys and all aspects of the courts of the Commonwealth.
- Acted as office liaison for lobbyists, constituents, and government relations personnel.
- Assisted committee chairman in presiding over legislative public hearings and executive sessions.
- Collected and organized data pertaining to deficiencies in the Massachusetts judicial system while attending statewide courthouse hearings.
- Managed House Judiciary Committee legislative docket, including more than seven hundred working files pertaining to the administration and management of the Massachusetts legal system.
0-5 years of experience
- Drafted and reviewed SEC filings for a micro-cap energy company that is publicly traded on NASDAQ.
- Assisted the Special Independent Committee of the Board of Directors in conducting an internal investigation in China.
- Drafted and reviewed financing, non-disclosure, and employment agreements.
- Interfaced and coordinated with outside counsel regarding the Company’s defense against derivative lawsuits.
- Drafted and researched legal memos on securities law, contract law, and corporate governance.
0-5 years of experience
- Answered company phone calls as the inside sales person.
- Placed calls and wrote demand letters to recoup money owed from contractual agreements.
- Coordinated and managed transit routes, and maintained an updated status of the location of all medical personnel and vehicles.
- Executed decisions on behalf of the company in regards to the interviewing and hiring process of potential employees.
0-5 years of experience
- Investigated, evaluated, and advised the Human Resources Director on disputes between the government and its employees, including disciplinary actions, discrimination claims, and general grievances.
- Coordinated with the Attorney General’s Office in defending the government in employment litigation before the American Samoa Administrative Law Judge.
- Ensured compliance with the local and federal law through policy-drafting, regulatory amendments, and training of government officials and department leaders.
- Reviewed employee contracts for compliance under local and federal law.
0-5 years of experience
Established the Internal Legal Department of [company name] with corporate wide responsibility for all domestic and foreign regulatory compliance matters with overview of government relations, regulatory affairs initiatives, complex international transactional negotiations, research and analysis of Latin American and European regulations and legislation.
- Successfully negotiated and settled with Customs Border Control the reduction of 41 compliance violation fines totaling $1,623,870.00 to 4,100.00 ($100.00 for each violation).
- Retained and controlled outside counsel reducing the average legal expenses from $370,000.00 to $235,000.00.
- Successfully worked, in conjunction with outside legal counsel, in the negotiations, drafting and closing of the Ground Lease Agreement between [company name] and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department for the development of new $120 million warehouse facility at Miami International Airport to house the operations of [company name]
- Organized and managed internal due diligence for Project Soleil concerning the sale of [company name] and related asset companies.
0-5 years of experience
- Drafted and negotiated all service, partnership, employment and confidentiality agreements.
- Designed comprehensive contracts database for client agreements including detailed negotiating parameters, SLAs, IP protection protocols, and U.S. and EMEA regulatory compliance protocols.
- Provided risk assessments of EMEA and U.S. compliance for investments and corporate formation.
0-5 years of experience
- Drafted, structured, reviewed and negotiated a wide range of commercial contracts and agreements with merchants, financial institutions, payment processors, payment associations, resellers, channel partners and IT service providers located in the US, South America, Europe and Asia
- Advised and provided guidance to business teams located in the US as well as South America, Europe and Asia on structuring and implementing the processing of credit/debit card, check, ACH, gift card and other alternative payment method transactions that comprised the company’s payments portfolio offering to merchants
- Conducted research and advised senior management and other internal clients on global laws and regulations applicable to payment services and financial services
- Interacted with regulators and other public agencies to ensure compliance with global regulatory requirements applicable to payment services
- Successfully led the company through the application process for membership to Visa and MasterCard and participated on a project team to implement internal policies and procedures to ensure compliance with membership requirements
- Acted as Chairman of the Board of [company name] Trust, an independently owned and managed trust company set up to oversee collection and remittance of over $9 billion annually of merchant payments
- Engaged in global entity management and maintenance of approximately 20 group subsidiaries in the US and various countries around the world
- Managed and directed external legal counsel in various jurisdictions that represented the company in litigation or provided advice to the company on other legal matters under local law
- Member of the dedicated project team responsible for successfully guiding the company through a private equity acquisition in 2010
6-10 years of experience
- Advisor on all municipality insurance and liability related issues
- Respond to legal insurance claims from constituents, municipal personnel, directors, attorneys and insurance companies
- Drafted municipal legislation on insurance, contracts and government liability issues
- Reviewed municipality RFP’s, contracts, and related bid documentation
- Responsible for State insurance regulation and Federal postal compliance
- Assisted municipal attorneys in order for trial and case settlements
0-5 years of experience
- Drafted and negotiated a FIDIC based main contract agreement and numerous subcontract agreements in relation to a 5-Star hotel project with total contract values for construction works in excess of $300 million.
- Involved in all aspects of project finance to ensure compliance with Real Estate Regulatory Authority policies and strict adherence to payment restrictions set forth in Dubai Land Department escrow account legislation.
- Conducted due diligence and legal compliance research for proposed new projects, while consulting with financial institutions, insurers and outside legal counsel to determine project feasibility.
- Coordinated with the company CEO and managing directors to evaluate the strategies and merits of specific
- Managed contractors all risk insurance policy procurement, maintenance of appropriate levels of cover, claims
Legal Counsel Duties and Responsibilities
While the responsibilities of a legal counsel can depend on their area of practice, we identified several core duties that tend to carry over:
Provide Legal Guidance One of the legal counsel’s most significant duties is providing advice and guidance to clients, whether they’re individuals or organizations. This can include general legal advice on best practices for compliance, input on business decisions and contract negotiations, and legal strategies for litigation and other legal activities.
Represent Clients The legal counsel represents clients at hearings and trials. Prior to the proceeding, the legal counsel gathers relevant information, sometimes requesting documents from other involved parties to build the client’s legal case. During trials, the legal counsel presents arguments to a judge or jury, while at a hearing the counsel may negotiate on their client’s behalf.
Conduct Legal Research Legal research is another key duty of the legal counsel. They may consult previous case information to determine its relevance to their client’s current concerns or may locate information on specific laws pertaining to their client’s activities. In some cases, a legal counsel may conduct research based on their client’s specific questions in order to provide accurate and timely advice.
Draft Legal Correspondence A legal counsel drafts documents related to their client’s activities, which can include statements, contracts, or agreements. In this aspect of the job, the legal counsel ensures that the agreements are readable and enforceable and that they represent their client’s best interests. They may also send letters on their client’s behalf, such sending as a cease and desist letter to a party infringing on the client’s copyright.
Ensure Compliance A legal counsel also ensures that their clients comply with laws and guidelines related to their business or other activities. While this largely relates to providing legal guidance and advice, the legal counsel also needs to anticipate changing laws and codes that their client may not be aware of and take action to ensure that the client does not violate these laws.
Legal Counsel Skills and Qualifications
Legal counsels provide advice, guidance, and representation to individual or institutional clients. Legal counsels need a juris doctor (J.D.) degree and to pass the bar exam in any state in which they intend to practice. They also need the following skills:
- Analytical skills – legal counsels must be highly analytical and able to examine the facts related to cases and contracts in order to develop a compelling legal argument in both criminal and civil matters
- Persuasion – in order to successfully represent their client’s stance and legal standing, legal counsels need excellent persuasion skills
- Judgement and reason – this role requires sound judgment and exceptional reasoning skills. A legal counsel needs to examine the evidence at hand and make decisions related to legal strategies and options
- Negotiation – legal counsels need strong negotiation skills, which can help with negotiating contracts, arriving at settlements in civil cases, and coming to an agreement about the terms of a plea deal
- Research skills – while preparing for a case or providing advice, a legal counsel frequently needs to conduct extensive research to learn about related cases and previous judgments that may have a bearing on the case at hand
- Communication skills – a legal counsel needs to effectively communicate both verbally (with clients, judges, or juries) and in written documents (such as legal summaries and statements)
Legal Counsel Education and Training
Because a legal counsel is a practicing lawyer, they need extensive education for this role. After completing a bachelor’s degree, which can be in pre-law or in a variety of other fields, they must pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and complete law school. Law programs tend to take three years to complete on a full-time schedule and cover topics including contracts, constitutional law, and civil procedure. During law school, students decide on a specialization. Following law school, potential lawyers need to pass the bar exam to be able to practice in their state.
Legal Counsel Salary and Outlook
Although a legal counsel’s salary can depend largely upon their specialization and area of practice, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that lawyers earn a median annual salary of $119,250. Lawyers in the top 10 percent of earners make over $208,000 per year, while the lowest-paid 10 percent earn less than $57,430. The BLS estimates that employment for lawyers will grow 8 percent by 2026, although it notes that some of a lawyer’s typical duties, such as document review, may be handled by paralegals and assistants as firms move to keep costs down, which could impact the availability of entry-level legal counsel roles.
Helpful Resources
We searched the web and found several resources if you’re interested in learning more about a career as a legal counsel:
American Bar Association – the ABA is the largest professional organization for lawyers in the United States providing opportunities to learn and connect with other legal professionals
Legal Risk Management for In-House Counsel and Managers: A Manager’s Guide to Legal and Corporate Risk Management – Bryan E. Hopkins examines the role of the legal counsel in corporate law
“Effective Assistance of Counsel” – this blog post explores the right to effective legal counsel in the American criminal justice system and what it means for lawyers and their clients
Good Counsel: Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits – author Lesley Rosenthal explores the role of legal counsel for nonprofit organizations and provides advice for successfully representing nonprofits