The duties of a corporate lawyer in London.

by Hudson Mckenzie Lawyers and Solicitors who understand you

In any business whether big or small, facing legal hurdles is a common issue and not every company is capable of handling them in a smoother way. This is when companies look for the services of a corporate lawyer in London who is known to help companies in all legal and compliance issues. Let’s find out what a corporate lawyer can do.

Whether finalizing the attainment of a multibillion dollar company or helping a small Internet start-up company, corporate lawyers are found to be working in counselling businesses on their various legal rights, responsibilities, and obligations. General corporate practice involves managing a wide range of legal issues for businesses.

A majority of corporate lawyers work in corporate law firms, specifically large or mid-size firms, where they advise clients and manage business transactions such as negotiation, drafting, and analysis of contracts and other agreements linked with the activities of the business, such as mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; they also counsel business clients on corporate governance and operations matters such as the rights and responsibilities of corporate directors and officers and the general oversight of the legal activities of the company. Moreover, corporate attorneys help business clients with the financial details they must provide to their owners, employees, and shareholders, including reports that must be submitted with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other government authorities.

Other corporate lawyers are hired directly by corporations as in-house corporate counsel. In-house counsel work as internal advisers on various business and legal issues, such as labor and employment issues, intellectual property issues, contractual issues, and liability issues.

One job of a corporate lawyer in London is to advise publicly held companies. A publicly held company is a company with shares of stock that are traded on public stock exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange. Shares of stock represent an investment in a business; members of the public who own stock thus have an ownership stake in the business. Corporate lawyers must be acquainted with various state and federal securities laws that manage publicly traded securities. They assist publicly held companies with matters regarding the issuance of securities as well as the detailed reporting needs of state and federal agencies such as the SEC.

Public companies are thought to strict standards with respect to disclosure of information that may have either an affirmative or opposite material effect on earnings and may therefore affect the price of their stock. Thus corporate lawyers advise publicly held companies with regard to issues such as the public disclosure of disappointing financial results, an adverse judgment in a litigation matter, or the initiation of a government investigation regarding the company. The company may, for instance, need to advise the public about an imminent product recall, litigation that has been started due to an environmental issue, or an unfunded pension liability.

Corporate lawyers also provide help to their clients on issues related to trade secrets and other kinds of intellectual property such as patent and trademark licensing; antitrust issues; international transactions such as the acquisition of foreign businesses or real estate; and contractual matters such as technical assistance agreements between the company and outside consultants hired to provide computer and other information technology assistance.