Day in the Life: Insights from Attorneys in General Corporate Practice

In Vault's Practice Area Resource Centers, among other things, we highlight Q&As from various attorneys employed at law firms who have ranked for prestige in the relevant practice area. In this series, we will highlight some answers from attorneys at ranked firms regarding what their typical day is like working in a given practice area. Today, we feature some answers from our General Corporate Practice Area Resource Center.

Manuel Silva, Partner, Cleary: "A typical day in my practice involves a mix of client interactions, document preparation, and collaboration with colleagues. My mornings often start with calls or meetings to align on strategy and address key issues in ongoing transactions. I spend a significant portion of the day drafting and reviewing legal documents, ensuring accuracy and alignment with client objectives. I also coordinate with clients and opposing counsel to advance negotiations and navigate legal and regulatory requirements. Each day requires balancing multiple transactions, managing timelines, and ensuring seamless execution, often across different jurisdictions and time zones."

Jenn Sayles Okorn & Sogoal Salari, Partners, Gunderson: "Jenn: A typical day varies depending on the stage of a transaction. At the outset, I will review a non-disclosure agreement, letter of intent, or a term sheet to negotiate high-level terms of the transaction and set the parties’ intentions before due diligence begins. As the deal progresses, my focus shifts to negotiating the merger agreement and drafting ancillary documents. As we approach closing, I concentrate on timelines and may assist with preparing external press releases to announce the transaction or help with plans for integration.

The variety keeps each day exciting: I am involved in different aspects of the transaction depending on its stage or the day. Additionally, the industry focus varies, whether it’s a sports client or one in a niche technology or life sciences sector, so the tasks and priorities can shift accordingly."

Tyler Ambrose, Associate, Kirkland: "Typical tasks for junior associates can vary, but an average day could include: 

• reviewing contracts in a virtual data room 
• drafting due diligence memoranda on potential targets 
• engaging insurers and bankers 
• advancing a pro bono project 
• attending training sessions to get familiarized with a universe of documents that you’ll be seeing (often for the first time!)"

Camila Panama, Partner, Mayer Brown: "One of my favorite aspects of my practice is that there is not really a “typical” day per se as the practice tends to be dynamic and varied. Most days do, however, include some form of the following: client meetings and calls discussing key legal issues, as well as strategic considerations, and preparing for and participating in board meetings/calls; drafting and reviewing key transaction documents including a purchase agreement or merger agreement, ancillary documents, corporate governance documents (charters and bylaws), and shareholders’ agreements, as well as deal announcement press releases and SEC filings; negotiations with opposing counsel regarding key issues; collaboration with colleagues across different practice areas and jurisdictions to ensure seamless execution on our matters together, gain an understanding of key issues across all subject matter areas, and facilitate negotiations where needed and resolution; and strategy related to transaction structuring, analysis, and considerations, including discussions with clients and financial advisors regarding an approach to transaction negotiations, approach to a target company with respect to an unsolicited acquisition, or strategy for the sale process, and analysis of Delaware case law in light of director fiduciary duties in the particular context at hand."

Patricia Perez Elias, Associate, Morrison Foerster: "My days are very different from one day to the next, but a transaction generally has the same outline. When I’m representing a buyer, our team begins by doing a legal due diligence analysis of the target, which then informs the structure of the transaction and the underlying transaction documents. On a daily basis, I am responding to emails and calls from the client, opposing counsel, and our subject matter experts to tie it all together into one cohesive set of transaction documents that work together for the intended result. Now that I’m a bit more senior, I take a front-seat role in drafting major transaction documents, like the definitive purchase agreement, which can comprise a good chunk of my day. I also take my role very seriously when I’m acting as a mentor and teacher to the junior associates who are helping me in the transaction and often spend many hours reviewing and talking through the various deal dynamics."