How to Become A General Council In South Africa

The General Council is the WTO’s highest-level decision-making body in Geneva, meeting regularly to carry out the functions of the WTO.

What Does a General Counsel Do?

There are certain skills that many general counsels have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills.

What is the role of general counsel?

A general counsel, sometimes called GC, chief legal officer, or corporate counsel, is a company’s main attorney and primary source of legal advice He can be charged with handling legal crises, compliance issues, public policy advocacy, labor law, tax work, issues around intellectual property, and more.

What is the Office of General Counsel?

The Office of the General Counsel is responsible for the provision of legal advice and assistance to agencies within the Department of Justice

Is it legal counsel or council?

Counsel can be used as a verb or a noun, whereas council and consul are nouns. Counsel as a verb means to advise; as a noun, it means the person doing the advising (such as an attorney) or the advice itself. Less commonly, counsel means guarded thoughts or advice.

How to Become A General Council In South Africa

If you’re interested in becoming a general counsel, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We’ve determined that 44.5% of general counsels have a bachelor’s degree.

In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.8% of general counsels have master’s degrees. Even though most general counsels have a college degree, it’s impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a general counsel.

When we researched the most common majors for a general counsel, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor’s degree degrees or doctoral degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on general counsel resumes include master’s degree degrees or associate degree degrees.

You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a general counsel. In fact, many general counsel jobs require experience in a role such as associate. Meanwhile, many general counsels also have previous career experience in roles such as attorney or law clerk.

GENERAL COUNSEL CAREERS

A general counsel is a chief lawyer working for a company or a governmental office. He or she acts as the legal representative of the organization and provides expert and strategic legal advice to the management.

General counsels draft contracts for the various operations of the company or organization they work for. They manage copyright and trademark issues, hold on to business records, and make sure the business strategies of the company respect legal regulations.

This is far from an entry-level position. You will need a law degree to be considered, as well as ample experience working in your field. Excellent communication skills and professional integrity are a must, but these, ideally, come with being a successful lawyer.

TOP SKILLS FOR A GENERAL COUNSEL

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do.

Luckily, we’ve found all of the skills you’ll need so even if you don’t have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on.

Out of all the resumes we looked through, 30.6% of general counsels listed legal advice on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and interpersonal skills are important as well.

GENERAL COUNSEL RESUMES

Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming.

That’s why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a General Counsel.

If you’re needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.

How do you become a general counsel in South Africa?

The basic requirement is an LLB degree from any South African university. Having achieved this, the next step is to apply to the High Court to be included on the ‘roll’ of advocates. To do this, an applicant must satisfy the court that he/she is both qualified and able to be a member of the profession.

How long does it take to become a general counsel?

Complete a Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor. The Bachelor of Law is usually a five–year course of full–time study, while the Juris Doctor can be completed in three years and requires a previous undergraduate qualification. Consider completing postgraduate study such as the Master of Laws.

Is it hard to be a general counsel in South Africa ?

Best job in corporate in South Africa

Being a general counsel may be one of the best jobs in corporate in South Africa . It is not without risk and can be complex and challenging, but when properly performed, it offers you the opportunity to have a significant influence and impact on a business.

How much does a general counsel lawyer earn in South Africa?

Here’s how much money lawyers earn in South Africa

In-house – Financial Services2021 annual salary range
General CounselR1 500 000 – R3 500 000
Junior CounselR400,000 – R600,000
Legal CounselR650,000 – R950,000
Senior Legal CounselR1 000 000 – R1 400 000

How much does a general counsel make a year in South Africa ?

Pay scale estimates the average General Counsel salary is around R 2515393.82.Corporate Counsel carried out a survey of the country’s best-paid general counsels. The survey took into account the base salary, cash bonus, and non equity incentives of these GCs.

Is it legal counsel or council?

Counsel can be used as a verb or a noun, whereas council and consul are nouns. Counsel as a verb means to advise; as a noun, it means the person doing the advising (such as an attorney) or the advice itself. Less commonly, counsel means guarded thoughts or advice.

What is the difference between a General Counsel and a chief legal officer?

The Chief Legal Officer is a top executive who works with other chief executives to make business decisions promoting growth. The General Counsel is primarily an advisor who aims to limit the company’s legal risk. Both roles manage a company’s legal teams and require deep industry expertise and management experience.

Should chief compliance officer report to general counsel?

Often, the compliance function reported to the GC, and sometimes the GC simultaneously served in the CCO role. And this often remains true today. Many GCs of publicly traded companies either oversee or serve as the heads of compliance for instance, Mark Chandler of Cisco holds both the GC and CCO titles.