<p>I thought corporate law dealt with businesses and business related matters. However I often hear about Cravath and Watchell alongside coroporate law. Is Cravath considered coroporate law even though some of its attorney argue cases in front of the Supreme Court (appealite law?). What exactly is corporate law? What do Cravath attorneys do? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Most firms have litigators.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you visit the following websties of the firms that are widely considered to be the top corporate law firms in NYC (and probably in the nation), and look at the descriptions of their practice areas and news stores/press releases about recent transactions:</p>
<p>Wachtel: <a href=“http://www.wlrk.com%5B/url%5D”>www.wlrk.com</a>
S&C: <a href=“http://www.sullcrom.com%5B/url%5D”>www.sullcrom.com</a>
Cravath: <a href=“http://www.cravath.com%5B/url%5D”>www.cravath.com</a>
Davis Polk: <a href=“http://www.dpw.com%5B/url%5D”>www.dpw.com</a></p>
<p>You should be able to get a pretty good idea of the types of work available to a corporate lawyer, as well as a sense of the types of deals that these lawyers do. You may also want to take a look at some of the lawyer bios on those websites for an idea of who these firms hire.</p>
<p>I understand Partner and Associate, but what exactly is a counsel?</p>
<p>Counsel can mean a lot of things. Senior Counsel is typically a partner who has chosen to or been forced to “retire” due to age restrictions in the partnership agreement. These partners may work full time or less than full time. (In my experience, some of the really ancient partners are more like good will ambassadors to clients, bar associations and other entities with which they have had long affiliations.) </p>
<p>At many firms, “counsel” or “special counsel” is a title given to associates as they become very senior but before the firm is willing or able to make them partners. The “counsel” track has become an increasingly popular way to create non-equity “partners”, where associates are given a new title, sometimes some more compensation, but don’t get to share in the management or the profits of the firm (where the bigger money is). They continue on as salaried employees. Some firms definitely look upon their counsels as potential partners in their firms, while others look at it as a permanent resting place. It really depends on the firm.</p>