Paper Pursuit

• One very large part of the corporate lawyer job description entails research and writing briefs. Both involve significant amounts of time searching for legal precedent and writing down research findings; writing briefs involves developing a legal position and defending it in writing.
  
  

The Courtroom

• The corporate lawyer can expect to spend some time in a courtroom, trying his cases, defending and arguing the legal positions he has staked out. Thus, this part of the job description will stress involvement in legal cases and arguing for clients.
  
  

Roles

• Corporate lawyers can work in large, nationally-known firms or in small firms. Most corporate lawyers practice law related to business, tax matters, trademark, copyright and infringement law. All will have some exposure to research, writing briefs and arguing before a judge (see Resources).
  
  

Educational Background

• All lawyers are required to have their J.D. (Juris Doctorate) from an accredited law school. Depending on the firm's specialization, some lawyers are also expected to have a degree in another discipline, such as science. Corporate lawyers are also required to have passed a state Bar exam before being admitted to practice.
  
  

Prior Experience

• Corporate law firms normally want candidates who have prior job experience. This experience can range from research (legal assistant), to investigations and writing legal briefs and presenting cases in court.