A transactional lawyer provides counsel to businesses, organizations, and individuals on legal matters related to their business dealings. They facilitate mergers, joint ventures, and contract negotiations, ensuring agreements are clear and advantageous for clients. Transactional lawyers draft contracts, create legal entities, and advise clients on commercial and compliance issues. They must have skills in contract negotiation, legal research, drafting, advocacy, analysis, and client relations.

1. Understanding the Role of a
Transactional Lawyer
By: Julia Cominos

2. Understanding the Role of a Transactional Lawyer
A dean's list graduate of the University of San Diego, Julia Cominos subsequently earned an MBA
from Pepperdine University. She has since held executive finance-based roles across diverse
industries, most recently having served as managing partner of a retail fine art partnership between
MGM and Cirque du Soleil. This past April, Julia Cominos' father, Theodore, was honored by the
Monterey County Bar Association for 65 years of service as a transactional lawyer.

3. Understanding the Role of a Transactional Lawyer
Transactional lawyers generally work with government agencies, unions, nonprofit organizations,
or individuals and provide counsel on legal matters regarding their business dealings. They are
particularly useful when facilitating mergers or joint ventures as well as during contract
negotiations, as they can ensure that documents are devoid of potentially problematic loopholes
and ambiguous language. Conversely, a good transactional lawyer also can help clients use
potential weaknesses in business agreements and other legal contracts to their advantage.

4. Understanding the Role of a Transactional Lawyer
To that end, individuals pursuing a career as a transactional lawyer should be skilled in contract
negotiation, legal research, drafting, and written advocacy. They also must have strong analytic
and client relation skills. Day-to-day responsibilities range from creating legal entities and drafting
contracts to advising businesses on commercial, compliance, and general governance matters.