Somewhere in your first few years as a corporate lawyer, a recruiter or a prospective employer will ask for a deal sheet, and if you have never made one, it can feel puzzling: what is it, exactly, and how do you list confidential deals without giving anything away? A deal sheet is one of the most powerful tools a corporate lawyer has when moving roles, because it shows, concretely, the transactional experience you carry. Let me show you how to build one that impresses, cleanly and within confidentiality.
Quick answer
A deal sheet is a concise document listing the representative transactions you have worked on, describing each by type, key features and your role, without disclosing confidential specifics like client names or sensitive details. It shows a prospective employer the depth and nature of your transactional experience at a glance. To build one, list your significant deals, describe each in a confidentiality-safe way (deal type, size band or nature if appropriate, key aspects, and your specific role), and keep it clean and scannable. It is a strong companion to a corporate CV.
What a deal sheet is for
A CV has limited room, so your transactional experience often gets compressed into a few lines. A deal sheet gives that experience space to breathe: it lets a prospective employer see the actual deals you have been part of, the types and scale, and what you did on each. For corporate and transactional roles, this is exactly what they want to assess, because it shows your real hands-on experience. A strong deal sheet can make the difference in a lateral move.
What to include for each deal
- Type of transaction: for example, an acquisition, a financing, a joint venture, a capital markets transaction, or general corporate work.
- Nature and key features: enough to convey the substance and complexity, described generally.
- Your specific role: what you actually did on the deal (diligence, drafting particular documents, managing a workstream, coordinating with counterparties). This is crucial; it shows your contribution, not just presence.
- Scale, only if appropriate and non-confidential: a general sense of size can help, but only if you can share it safely.
How to handle confidentiality
This is the part everyone worries about, and the rule is simple: convey the nature and type of each deal and your role, without disclosing confidential specifics. That means, generally: no client names (describe them generically, like “a listed manufacturing company” if even that is safe, or omit), no sensitive commercial details, and nothing that could identify a confidential matter. You can still be genuinely informative about the type of deal, what it involved, and what you did, which is what a prospective employer actually needs. When in doubt, err toward more general descriptions. A confidentiality-safe deal sheet is both professional and expected.
How to format it
Keep it clean and scannable. A common approach is a concise list, grouped by deal type or in reverse-chronological order, with each entry giving the transaction type, a short description, and your role in a line or two. Make it easy for a busy reader to skim and grasp your experience quickly. It should look professional and organised and be a natural companion to your CV.
YLCC ACTION STEP: Start your deal sheet now, even mid-career, by listing the significant transactions you have worked on and, for each, jotting the type, a confidentiality-safe description, and your specific role. Keeping a running deal sheet as you go (rather than reconstructing it under pressure when a recruiter asks) means yours is always ready and accurate.
PLEASE DON’T DO THIS: Please don’t disclose client names or confidential deal specifics to make your deal sheet look impressive; it is unprofessional and a genuine risk. And please don’t just list deals you were nominally on without saying what you did; a deal sheet that shows your specific role is far more convincing than a list of transactions you merely observed. Describe your actual contribution safely.
FAQs
- What is a deal sheet? A concise document listing the representative transactions you have worked on, describing each by type, key features and your role, without confidential specifics. It shows your transactional experience at a glance.
- What goes on a deal sheet? For each deal: the transaction type, a confidentiality-safe description of its nature, and your specific role. Optionally a general sense of scale if non-confidential.
- How do I handle confidentiality on a deal sheet? Describe the type and nature of the transaction and your role without naming the client or revealing confidential or commercially sensitive details. When in doubt, keep the description general and check with your senior before including anything.
- Who needs a deal sheet? Corporate and transactional lawyers, especially when moving roles. It is a strong companion to a corporate CV for lateral moves.
- When should I build my deal sheet? Ideally, as you go, keep a running list so it is always ready and accurate rather than reconstructed under pressure.
Thank you for reading!
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