Tax advisor to legal consultant
A tax advisor already meets 30% of what the legal consultant role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.3/ 100
1 How much of what a legal consultant is expected to do is already part of a tax advisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the legal consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A legal consultant role treats 5 of its required skills as things a tax advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on legal decisions
- compile legal documents
- legal terminology
- provide legal advice
- use consulting techniques
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A legal consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tax advisor background worth leading with.
- already held negotiate in legal cases communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on legal decisions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide legal advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held legal terminology business, administration and law
- already held civil law business, administration and law
- already held compile legal documents information skills
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the legal consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse legal enforceability required
- still to learn identify clients' needs required
- still to learn interpret law required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- optional, not held consult with business clients optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held present legal arguments optional
- still to learn private law required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held maritime law optional
- optional, not held state aid regulations optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held procurement legislation optional
- optional, not held real estate market optional
- still to learn ensure law application required
- optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held analyse legal evidence optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a legal consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 private law study this
- 02 analyse legal enforceability practise this
- 03 ensure law application practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held advise on legal decisions skill
- already held compile legal documents skill
- already held legal terminology knowledge
- already held provide legal advice skill
- already held use consulting techniques skill
- already held civil law knowledge
- already held negotiate in legal cases skill
- already held observe confidentiality skill
23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held consult with business clients optional
- optional, not held maritime law optional
- optional, not held state aid regulations optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held analyse legal evidence optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held present legal arguments optional
- optional, not held procurement legislation optional
- optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
- optional, not held real estate market optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
34 held skills the legal consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting entries knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax policy skill
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cadastral taxation knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate tax skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role collect tax skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role develop taxation policies skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- not needed by the target role fraud detection knowledge
- not needed by the target role inform on fiscal duties skill
- not needed by the target role inspect tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role inspect taxation documents skill
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role international taxation of transfer prices knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role legal department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal finances skill
- not needed by the target role national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare financial auditing reports skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role prepare tax returns forms skill
- not needed by the target role research taxation procedures skill
- not needed by the target role secure sensitive customer's information skill
- not needed by the target role sign income tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role value-added tax law knowledge
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn private law required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held maritime law optional
- optional, not held state aid regulations optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held procurement legislation optional
- optional, not held real estate market optional
Other moves recorded from tax advisor
- tax clerk 52% covered · moderate
- tax inspector 48% covered · moderate
- tax compliance officer 41% covered · substantial
- audit supervisor 30% covered · substantial
- financial fraud examiner 30% covered · substantial
- accountant 28% covered · career change
- financial auditor 27% covered · career change
- tax policy analyst 27% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a tax advisor become a legal consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tax advisor already covers 30% of what a legal consultant is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the legal consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a tax advisor need to become a legal consultant?
6 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is private law.
How hard is the move from tax advisor to legal consultant?
Its learning distance is 65.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.