A method of manufacturing a lateral transistor is described. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate. A dielectric layer is formed over the semiconductor substrate. A gate layer is formed over the dielectric layer. A photoresist layer is applied over the gate layer. The photoresist layer is opened by lithography to form a first opening of a first opening size in the photoresist layer. The first opening is transferred into a second opening of a second opening size, the second opening being either formed in the photoresist layer or in an auxiliary layer. A body region is formed in the semiconductor substrate by dopant implantation. Further the gate layer is structured to form a gate edge. An overlap between the structured gate layer and the body region is controlled by an offset between the first opening size and the second opening size.