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General counsel resume example

A general counsel’s resume with 22 years in law, nine in-house at a public company and the last six as GC. CEOs and boards hiring a general counsel look for a business partner who can lead a team, manage enterprise risk and advise the board, so the bullets read like an executive’s, with legal skill taken as given.

General counsel resume example, page 1 of 2OLUMIDE FASHOLAGeneral Counsel and Corporate Secretaryolumide.fashola@example.com · (612) 555-0167 · Minneapolis, MN · linkedin.com/in/olumidefasholaSUMMARYGeneral counsel with 22 years in law, the last nine leading legal, compliance and governance at a public medical devicecompany. I sit on the executive team, advise the board, and make legal a reason the company moves faster rather than slower.Led legal work on $780 million in acquisitions and a $250 million offering, with no material compliance findings in nine years.EXPERIENCEGeneral Counsel and Corporate SecretaryJan 2020 – PresentNorthstar Cardiac SystemsMinneapolis, MN•Lead a legal and compliance team of 16 with an $11 million budget for a public company with $1.1 billion in revenue;report to the CEO and the audit committee.•Led legal work on 3 acquisitions totaling $780 million, including the integration of a European business with 600employees.•Rebuilt the healthcare compliance program (Anti-Kickback Statute, Sunshine Act, FCPA), with no material findings intwo independent reviews.•Advise the board and its committees on governance, SEC disclosure and executive pay; run the annual meeting and proxyprocess.•Resolved a competitor’s patent suit with a cross-license after two years, protecting a product line with $300 million inannual sales.•Cut outside legal spend by 22% while the docket grew, by moving to fixed fees and a panel of 6 firms.Deputy General CounselMar 2017 – Dec 2019Northstar Cardiac SystemsMinneapolis, MN•Led commercial, regulatory and IP legal work; managed a portfolio of 450 patents and applications with outside counsel.•Led the legal side of a $250 million follow-on stock offering.Partner (Associate until 2012)Sep 2004 – Feb 2017Hennepin Carver LLPMinneapolis, MN•Corporate and securities lawyer for medical technology companies; advised 15 public and private clients on SEC reporting,M&A and financings.•Co-led the firm’s life sciences group of 20 lawyers from 2014.EDUCATIONJ.D., magna cum laude2001 – 2004University of Minnesota Law SchoolMinneapolis, MNB.A. in Political Science1997 – 2001Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MNOlumide Fashola · 1 / 2
General counsel resume example, page 2 of 2BAR ADMISSIONMinnesota2004Minnesota Supreme CourtBOARD SERVICEBoard Member and Finance Committee Chair2018 – PresentNorthside Legal Aid SocietyMinneapolis, MN•Oversee finances for a $5 million legal aid organization serving 6,000 clients a year.SKILLSCorporate governance · SEC reporting and disclosure · Mergers and acquisitions · Healthcare compliance · FDA regulatory law · Intellectual property strategy · Litigation management · Enterprise risk management · Board advising ·Executive team leadership · Legal budget management · Crisis managementOlumide Fashola · 2 / 2
General counselUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • Scope: team size, budget, functions led (legal, compliance, IP, privacy, government affairs) and reporting lines.
  • Board and governance: corporate secretary duties, committee work, SEC reporting for public companies.
  • Major transactions: M&A, offerings and financings, with values and your role.
  • Risk and compliance: programs built, investigations handled, regulatory outcomes in your industry.
  • Business partnership: how legal helped the company grow, not only what it prevented.

Writing the summary

Lead with your title, years and the company type (public or private, industry, size), then the functions you lead and two of your largest outcomes. Write it as an executive summary, not a list of practice areas.

The summary in this example

General counsel with 22 years in law, the last nine leading legal, compliance and governance at a public medical device company. I sit on the executive team, advise the board, and make legal a reason the company moves faster rather than slower. Led legal work on $780 million in acquisitions and a $250 million offering, with no material compliance findings in nine years.

First-time general counsel at a growth company

Deputy general counsel with 15 years at a public software company and a law firm, leading commercial, privacy and employment teams of 8. Ready to be the first general counsel at a venture-backed company preparing for scale, with experience in financings, IPO readiness and building a legal function from scratch.

General counsel at a private equity-backed company

General counsel with 18 years in industrial and business services companies, the last five at a private equity-backed manufacturer through 6 add-on acquisitions and a sale to a strategic buyer at 3x the entry value. I run a lean legal team and keep deals moving.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Built the legal department from 1 to 9 lawyers as the company grew from $200 million to $900 million in revenue.
  • Led the legal workstream of an IPO raising $400 million, including governance, disclosure and listing readiness.
  • Managed an internal investigation with the audit committee, closed with no enforcement action.
  • Negotiated the sale of the company to a strategic buyer for $1.6 billion.
  • Reduced pending litigation from 45 matters to 18 in three years through early resolution and better contracts.
  • Launched a compliance hotline and training program that raised employee reporting while substantiated issues fell by 30%.
  • Led crisis response to a product recall in 12 countries, coordinating regulators, customers and communications.
  • Set up the company’s first enterprise risk management framework, reviewed by the board twice a year.
  • Cut contract-related revenue delays by half by reorganizing commercial legal around the sales cycle.
  • Mentored 4 lawyers who became general counsel at other companies.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Corporate governance and board advising
  • Securities law and SEC reporting (for public companies)
  • Mergers, acquisitions and financings
  • Compliance programs and investigations
  • Litigation strategy and portfolio management
  • Intellectual property strategy
  • Industry regulation
  • Legal department budgeting and operations

Soft skills

  • Executive presence
  • Trusted counsel to the CEO and board
  • Building and leading teams
  • Calm in a crisis
  • Commercial judgment

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • Bar admission: list your state, plus registered in-house counsel status where it applies.
  • No further certification is expected of a general counsel; record, scope and references decide.
  • Board or governance education (a director certification program) can be a short line if you are also seeking board seats.

Length and format

Two pages. Page one holds the summary and the current role with its biggest outcomes; page two holds earlier roles, education, admissions and board service. Firm years can be summarized in two bullets.

Common mistakes

  • A resume that reads like a senior associate’s: practice areas and documents instead of leadership and outcomes.
  • No numbers for team, budget or transactions, which are how boards judge scope.
  • Describing confidential investigations or disputes in identifying detail.
  • Leaving out board and governance experience, which is central to the role at public companies.
  • Pages of law firm detail from 15 years ago.

Questions and answers

What do CEOs look for in a general counsel’s resume?

A business partner: someone who has led a legal team, advised a board, managed major transactions and risk, and helped the company grow. Legal expertise is assumed; judgment and leadership decide.

Should a general counsel list representative matters?

Not as a long list. Name the major transactions and outcomes in bullets. A detailed matters list belongs in a law firm partner’s resume.

Should I include nonprofit board service?

Yes. It shows governance experience from the other side of the table and is especially useful if you want a corporate board seat later.

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