Compliance vs. Legal

I remember while interviewing for my initial compliance role, the hiring manager asked: why are you interested in compliance instead of a Paralegal role? As you can imagine, I was totally unprepared for this question. Automatically however, I responded and said “because I’m interested in the business side of legal.” And that’s how I consider compliance to be different from legal.

Compliance, in my opinion, is the business side of legal. It narrows in on the business aspect of abiding with laws & regulations. You’re essentially analyzing complex business data to determine and ensure its legal conformities. Legal, on the other hand, is mainly concerned with the law in and of itself — there’s less emphasis on business operations.

If you prefer to focus more strictly on understanding laws, rules & regulations, the legal route should suit your needs. However, if you would rather focus on the business process of adhering to laws, rules, and regulations, then compliance is the way to go.

I enjoy compliance because it provides the best of both worlds: business and legal.