Counsel résumé: what employers are asking for right now
We read 130 open counsel postings on employers' own job boards, at companies including Anthropic, Brex and Harvey. Of the 100 whose requirements we have read, the skills asked for most are Contract Negotiation (47%), Privacy Law (25%) and Commercial Contracts (21%) — so those belong near the top of a counsel résumé, in the words the posting uses. The median posting asks for 5+ years of experience.
From 130 open postings on employers’ own job boards, as of .
Skills counsel postings ask for
| Skill | Share of postings | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| Contract Negotiation | 47% | |
| Privacy Law | 25% | |
| Commercial Contracts | 21% | |
| Gdpr | 21% | |
| Contract Drafting | 20% | |
| Regulatory Compliance | 19% | |
| Intellectual Property | 18% | |
| Legal Research | 18% | |
| SaaS | 16% | |
| Ccpa | 15% | |
| Data Protection | 15% | |
| Employment Law | 15% | |
| Corporate Law | 14% | |
| Jd | 14% | |
| Data Privacy | 13% |
Share of the 100 postings whose requirements we have read.
A skills section built from those postings
List only what you can talk about in an interview, and use the posting’s own words for it — a screener searching for “Contract Negotiation” will not match a synonym. Ordered by how often employers ask:
Skills
Contract Negotiation
Privacy Law · Commercial Contracts · Gdpr · Contract Drafting · Regulatory Compliance · Intellectual Property · Legal Research · SaaS · Ccpa · Data Protection · Employment Law
Corporate Law · Jd · Data Privacy
- Line 1: asked for by a third or more of postings.
- Line 2: often asked for.
- Line 3: sometimes asked for.
Sample counsel résumé
An illustrative example, not a real person: the employers and results are made up. The skills are the ones the postings above ask for, so it shows how those requirements read on a page.
Senior Counsel | Commercial, Privacy & Product Legal
Senior counsel with 7+ years supporting SaaS and data-driven products across commercial contracts, privacy law, and regulatory compliance. Advises on GDPR, CCPA, data protection, intellectual property, and employment law while partnering with product, security, sales, and operations on scalable legal processes.
Experience
Senior Counsel · Series C SaaS company serving enterprise customers
2021 – present
- Led contract negotiation for enterprise SaaS, privacy addenda, and procurement terms, reducing legal review time by 35% while preserving key risk positions.
- Drafted and standardized commercial contracts, DPAs, and order forms across global deals, improving turnaround for sales teams and outside counsel review.
- Built a privacy law program covering GDPR, CCPA, and data protection requests, including templates, notices, and retention workflows for product launches.
- Advised on regulatory compliance, intellectual property, and AI Governance issues for new features, translating legal requirements into launch-ready controls.
Counsel · Growth-stage software and data analytics company
2017 – 2021
- Negotiated SaaS and commercial contracts with customers, vendors, and channel partners, helping close larger deals with fewer escalations.
- Researched privacy law, employment law, and corporate law issues across U.S. and EU operations, supporting leadership with clear issue memos and risk options.
- Updated contract drafting playbooks and clause libraries, enabling consistent positions on indemnity, limitation of liability, confidentiality, and data use.
- Supported legal operations by improving intake, matter tracking, and template use, which cut repetitive review work and improved response times.
Skills
Contract Negotiation · Privacy Law · Commercial Contracts · Gdpr · Contract Drafting · Regulatory Compliance · Intellectual Property · Legal Research · SaaS · Ccpa · Data Protection · Employment Law
More counsel bullet points to adapt
- Negotiated master service agreements, DPAs, and security exhibits with enterprise customers, shortening redlines and improving deal cycle predictability.
- Drafted and maintained privacy notices, SCC-ready language, and internal policies to support GDPR and Data Protection compliance across multiple regions.
- Reviewed product launches for Intellectual Property, Privacy Law, and Ccpa issues, aligning legal approvals with release timelines and risk thresholds.
- Advised HR and business leaders on Employment Law and International Employment Law matters, including contractor classification and policy updates.
- Created contract playbooks and fallback positions for Commercial Contracts and Contract Negotiation, improving consistency across legal reviewers.
- Partnered with security and compliance teams on Regulatory Compliance requests, incident response workflows, and customer due diligence questionnaires.
- Supported in-house legal experience for sales and procurement teams by training stakeholders on clause risk, escalation paths, and signing authority.
- Researched evolving Artificial Intelligence and AI Governance requirements for SaaS features, helping define review steps for product and engineering.
- Assessed Financial Services partner terms and data handling obligations for fintech integrations, reducing exposure in cross-functional launches.
What sets an application apart
Listed as a plus rather than a requirement: Artificial Intelligence (13%), Fintech (9%), Legal Operations (8%), SaaS (8%), International Employment Law (7%), AI Governance (6%), Financial Services (6%) and Generative AI (6%). Worth naming if you have it, and never worth claiming if you do not.
Level, location and pay
- Most are senior roles (57% of postings that state a level).
- 30% are listed as remote.
- Listed mainly in United States, Ireland and United Kingdom.
- US postings that publish a yearly salary: median $246k, middle half $245k–$272k (from 20 postings).
Who is hiring counsels
- Anthropic14 open
- Brex10 open
- Harvey9 open
- Lyft9 open
- Coinbase7 open
- Databricks6 open
- Stripe6 open
- OpenAI5 open
- Pinterest4 open
- Sierra4 open
- Airbnb3 open
- ElevenLabs3 open