What Does a Corporate Lawyer Do in BigLaw?

"Corporate" is the broadest label in BigLaw. When someone says they're a corporate associate, they could be doing M&A, capital markets, fund formation, general corporate advisory, or half a dozen other things. Here's the overview.

The Big Picture

Corporate lawyers help companies do business. They advise on forming entities, issuing stock, acquiring other companies, raising capital, and complying with regulations. The common thread is that you're facilitating transactions, not litigating disputes.

Day-to-Day as a Junior Associate

Your first few years in a corporate group will involve:

Drafting and reviewing documents. Purchase agreements, stockholder agreements, board resolutions, officer certificates. You'll spend a lot of time in Word and in redlines.

Due diligence. Before a deal closes, someone has to review every material contract, corporate record, and regulatory filing of the target company. That someone is you. It's tedious but teaches you to spot issues.

Managing closings. Deals have checklists with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of documents that need to be signed, delivered, and filed. Junior associates help keep this organized.

Research memos. When a deal raises a novel legal question, you research the answer and write it up. These tend to be shorter and more practical than litigation research memos.

What Makes It Appealing

Corporate law gives you a front-row seat to business. You learn how companies are structured, how deals are negotiated, and how capital flows. This knowledge is incredibly valuable if you eventually want to move in-house or into business roles.

The work is collaborative. You're on the same side as your client, working toward a shared goal (getting the deal done). There's a sense of accomplishment when a deal closes.

What Makes It Hard

The hours can be brutal. When a deal is live, you work until it's done. All-nighters before closings are not unusual. The work can also feel repetitive as a junior, especially if you're doing a lot of due diligence.

You also need to be comfortable with imperfection. Deals move fast, and sometimes you're turning documents in hours, not days. Perfectionism can be paralyzing.

Skills That Matter

Detail orientation is non-negotiable. Missing a provision in a contract can cost your client millions. Beyond that, you need strong organizational skills, the ability to work under pressure, and good enough interpersonal skills to work with clients, opposing counsel, and your own team simultaneously.

See which firms have the strongest corporate practices in our firm directory.