Similar to many other practice areas in law, choosing to be a corporate attorney gives you the option of conducting independent practice or being a part of a large firm. While independent practice is often a cherished dream for the future, many attorneys desire to work with large law firms or in the legal departments of multinational companies to gain extensive knowledge and experience in the field in their early years of practice. Also, carving a career through such a route seems easier as established firms have set processes to meet legal challenges. Amongst the various locations appropriate for an in-house corporate attorney job, Richmond, Virginia tops the list for several reasons.
Richmond is Virginia’s largest city with a population of more than 204,000 people. The city’s economy is primarily driven by law, finance, and government, with federal, state, and local governmental agencies. Also, notable legal and banking firms situated in the downtown area are significant contributors to the city’s income.
The city is home to world-renowned companies such as CapitalOne, GenworthFinancial, Philip Morris USA, CarMax, Altria Group, Dominion Resources and many more. Working as a corporate lawyer for such firms would give you the opportunity to solely protect the interests of these firms. Your role would involve addressing any legal concern the company could have, suggesting measures and providing legal guidance. An important skill here would be to have sound knowledge of several aspects of the law and an understanding of how it applies to the company.
For those who wish to stay associated with legal firms, Richmond has some of the best organizations an attorney would want to work with, namely, Hunton & Williams, Williams Mullen, McGuireWoods and LeClairRyan. As these companies have some of the best multinationals as their clients, you get the opportunity to rub shoulders with the big names in the market.
As Richmond is within easy driving distance to the national capital, liaising with government officials and attorneys becomes less time consuming. This is a great advantage, as functioning with government agencies often requires adherence to strict timelines. You’ll need to ensure all essential documents are submitted and followed upon in a timely fashion.
Apart from being a satisfying career, the monetary gains of this role are pretty attractive as well. The average corporate attorney salaries for job postings in Richmond, VA are 1% higher than average salaries for similar job postings nationwide. An individual in this profession usually makes between $85,000 and $108,000 annually.
You can find abundant openings for the role of an in-house corporate attorney in this city. A look at this page on LawCrossing would convince you that a fulfilling career in law awaits you in Richmond.