Businesses hire lawyers as in-house counsel to oversee legal matters in the company. In-house counsel, also called corporate counsel, may consist of one attorney or a large legal department, depending on the size of the organization. These attorneys provide legal advice on a variety of issues that affect the company, including employment, taxes, and other regulations. Unlike lawyers at a big firm that specialize in certain types of law, in-house counsel needs to have a broad understanding of many different types of legal codes. Corporations usually outsource litigious cases to law firms, so in-house counsel also oversees the work of the outside attorneys.