Corporate Attorney Associate

Lateral Link
Chicago, IL

You're a corporate generalist, and somewhere along the way that started to feel like a problem.


You can paper a Series B, turn a credit agreement, run a stock purchase agreement, and clean up a cap table that three prior associates broke. You're the one partners hand the messy, cross-disciplinary deal to because you actually know how the pieces fit together.


But "generalist" gets treated like a holding pattern. You watch the M&A associates get the brand-name buyouts and the capital markets associates get the IPO credit, while you're the one quietly making sure the whole growth-stage company doesn't fall apart between financings.


Here's the thing: that breadth is the entire practice at the right platform — not a consolation prize.


A leading international firm with a deep, nationally recognized corporate and emerging companies practice is adding a mid-level associate to its Chicago team. This group lives in the growth cycle — backing companies from early financings through M&A and exit across a wide range of industries. The work is genuinely varied, and the breadth is the point, not a sign you haven't specialized.


The work includes:


  • Strategic transactions and financings for companies at every stage of the growth cycle
  • Venture, growth equity, and M&A work across multiple industries
  • General corporate representation, including complex commercial contracting
  • Corporate governance counseling for founders, boards, and growth-stage companies


What you bring:


  • 4-7 years of corporate transactional experience at a major firm (a strong 4th year who's run real deals will be considered)
  • Comfort working across financings, M&A, and general corporate — not just one narrow lane
  • Strong drafting skills and the judgment to manage a deal, not just a workstream
  • Illinois bar or eligibility to obtain


What you get:


  • A platform where corporate breadth is the practice, not a label that holds you back
  • National caliber deal flow with the growth company client base to keep it consistent
  • Cravath scale ($310K-$420K depending on class year) plus discretionary bonus


Reach out directly or send your resume confidentially to [email protected]

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