A corporate attorney is an attorney skilled in many issues related to business and corporate law. However, many times the designation corporate attorney refers either to an attorney who specializes in corporate governance and corporate finance, or to an attorney who works in-house for a corporation. An attorney who specializes in corporate governance and finance provides an especially important service to a corporation, particularly a publicly-held company, due to the increased scrutiny of corporate boards and corporate leadership today. An attorney who works in-house and specializes in corporate law provides the same type of specialized assistance but as an employee as opposed to a consultant.