Post job

Assistant district attorney vs legal counsel

The differences between assistant district attorneys and legal counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an assistant district attorney and a legal counsel. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, which is higher than the $73,970 average annual salary of an assistant district attorney.

The top three skills for an assistant district attorney include felony cases, criminal justice and criminal cases. The most important skills for a legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.

Assistant district attorney vs legal counsel overview

Assistant District AttorneyLegal Counsel
Yearly salary$73,970$132,867
Hourly rate$35.56$63.88
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs15,85710,337
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does an assistant district attorney do?

An Assistant District Attorney helps the District Attorney, a government official. They represent the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses.

What does a legal counsel do?

A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.

Assistant district attorney vs legal counsel salary

Assistant district attorneys and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

Assistant District AttorneyLegal Counsel
Average salary$73,970$132,867
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $108,000Between $81,000 And $216,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyGwinnett CenterApple
Best paying industryGovernmentTechnology

Differences between assistant district attorney and legal counsel education

There are a few differences between an assistant district attorney and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:

Assistant District AttorneyLegal Counsel
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Assistant district attorney vs legal counsel demographics

Here are the differences between assistant district attorneys' and legal counsels' demographics:

Assistant District AttorneyLegal Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 55.2% Female, 44.8%Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between assistant district attorney and legal counsel duties and responsibilities

Assistant district attorney example responsibilities.

  • Draft search warrants, cell site orders, and subpoenas on a frequent basis as part of developing and managing investigations.
  • Handle all phases of criminal prosecution including witness interviews, grand jury presentations, hearings, trials and appeals.
  • Draft briefs, motions, orders, subpoenas, contracts and other legal documents, as well as correspondence and reports.
  • Research and co-authore multiple briefs for interlocutory appeals regarding suppression of evidence.
  • Provide presentation and legal defense of insure persons in personal injury actions through mediation and/or trial.
  • Review and analyze medical records, permanency evaluations, interrogatories, and transcripts.

Legal counsel example responsibilities.

  • Achieve statewide recognition as expert on Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Manage high-risk employee terminations from initial decision through preparation for appeals hearings and any subsequent legal action.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Conduct anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) due diligence on a daily basis.
  • Ensure compliance with federal securities laws, NYSE rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
  • Draft position statements for EEO and other regulatory claims.
  • Show more

Assistant district attorney vs legal counsel skills

Common assistant district attorney skills
  • Felony Cases, 7%
  • Criminal Justice, 7%
  • Criminal Cases, 6%
  • Litigation, 6%
  • Crime Scenes, 6%
  • Adas, 5%
Common legal counsel skills
  • Legal Advice, 11%
  • Legal Issues, 9%
  • Litigation, 8%
  • Legal Support, 7%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Legal Risks, 4%