What Is a Chief Legal Officer?
If you’re concerned with how companies operate based mostly on the law, corporate law may be an excellent career path for you. In this position, you need legal expertise to help firms observe laws and laws and decrease litigation risks while conducting business. With experience, you can work your way up to the senior-level function of a chief legal officer (CLO). In this article, we explain the function of a chief authorized officer, find out how to develop into one and answer some continuously asked questions on this profession.
Key takeaways
A CLO is a authorized executive who helps an organization follow authorized and regulatory issues.
A CLO is an adviser to other company officers and board members to minimize legal risks.
A CLO is normally probably the most highly effective authorized executive in a publicly traded company.
What is a chief legal officer?
A chief authorized officer is a lawyer with a Juris Doctor (JD) degree, state license and intensive corporate experience. Because the head of a corporate authorized department, a CLO is accountable for overseeing a company’s authorized affairs. They have extensive legal backgrounds with earlier positions as head legal, first common counsel and law firm partner earlier than turning into a CLO.
What does a chief legal officer do?
Chief authorized officers typically work as probably the most senior authorized executive for publicly traded companies. These companies wish to ensure they’re protecting their workers, assets and stakeholders in accordance with the law.
A CLO’s duties might embrace:
Keeping leadership informed of new or changing laws
Consulting an organization’s board on legal advice and regulations
Overseeing a company’s in-house attorneys and legal department
Educating workers on legal points
Organising training materials concerning authorized issues for workers
Preparing legal forms resembling nondisclosure agreements or proprietary information agreements
Creating and implementing authorized strategies and insurance policies in the best curiosity of the company
Leading inner audits and corporate compliance initiatives
Litigating on behalf of an organization
Understanding contracts signed by the company
Find out how to grow to be a chief legal officer
Follow these steps to turn out to be a professional chief legal officer:
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree
Most aspiring lawyers start by earning a bachelor’s degree in enterprise, philosophy or history. Other fashionable majors for pre-law students include history, business, philosophy, English, political science and liberal arts. Since there aren’t any specific “pre-law” degrees, it is best to seek out coursework resembling international law, cyber law, public speaking, argumentation principle, communications and any others related to the examine of law.
Law school admission is highly competitive so you want to keep a high grade level common (GPA) during your undergraduate years. Law school admissions teams could desire candidates with related work expertise so seek out an law firm internship earlier than you graduate.
2. Apply to law school
In the course of the last years of your undergraduate program, you have to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Your score is a key part if you apply for law school. Chances are you’ll take the LSAT several instances to get a higher score.
Law schools may additionally require a personal assertion in your application. This is a short essay the place you explain why you want to attend law school and why you’re a certified candidate.
You might also be required to include a letter of recommendation. Ask a highly respected community member, similar to a professor or previous employer, to write your letter of recommendation. The admissions group may additionally wish to meet with you in particular person to additional focus on your background and application.
3. Attend law school
It typically takes three years to earn a JD degree. The first half of the program focuses on authorized writing, civil procedures, constitutional law and property law. In the second half, you will choose a specialization. As an aspiring chief legal officer, it’s best to focus on corporate law. Alongside with courses on the whole law topics, you could study mental property law, corporate finance, enterprise law, real estate law, employment law and different topics associated to practising law in a business setting.
4. Pass the bar examination
Law school graduates want a state license and admission to the American Bar Association to apply law. You could take a licensing or “bar” examination on federal, criminal, constitutional and multistate law, a written essay section and an ethics test. Necessities fluctuate by state and jurisdiction however the bar exam is identical for all lawyers irrespective of their specialization. You will take the bar exam within the state where you want to practice. Be prepared to pass a background check to be admitted to the bar.
5. Gain work experience
Many chief legal officers start as training attorneys and work their way up via internal promotions or applying to higher level positions within their industry. They might have a background as a law firm partner, head of legal or first common counselor.
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