General Counsels are attorneys who work in a governmental legal department or in an organization. They head the legal department of a company and advocacy is their main role. These professionals manage other lawyers in a firm and sometimes team up with other general counsels. They are responsible for presenting legal options to the board of directors or the Chief Executive Officer of a company.

General Counsels usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Studying cases against the company.
• Handling issues related to customer grievances.
• Recognizing the onset of problems.
• Teaming up with other professionals.
• Supervising lawyers and other staff members.

• Being persuasive.
• Having deep understanding of legal issues.
• Being honest.
• Having business experience.
• Being an effective communicator.
• Having a strong personality.
• Having management skills.
• Having leadership skills.
• Having good written and verbal communication skills.
• Being able to work under stressful circumstances.

Applicants for General Counsel jobs need to have a Bachelor´s Degree of Law as a minimum requirement. Most employers demand candidates having a Juris Doctorate Degree.  Experience is a valuable point inside this industry and several jobs require applicants having legal experience in a business environment and five to ten years of experience in a private law firm. Candidates in this sector also need to pass the States’ bar examination in order to practice in a specific state. There are professionals who were working as attorneys and then moved forward to higher level positions as General Counsels by learning suitable knowledge and skills for this job.