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The differences between associate attorneys and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate attorney has an average salary of $110,053, which is higher than the $69,556 average annual salary of an associate.
The top three skills for an associate attorney include litigation, law firm and discovery responses. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Associate Attorney | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $110,053 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $52.91 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 9,183 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
An associate attorney's role is to provide legal counseling to an individual or business entity, resolve legal disputes through crafting agreements and negotiating contract terms, and serving as an advisor or advocate. Most associate attorneys work at law firms or government agencies, supervised by more experienced personnel. Among the duties of an associate attorney includes conducting extensive research on every case, presenting factual evidence and statements, producing the legal and necessary documentation, and representing clients in formal settings.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Associate attorneys and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Attorney | Associate | |
| Average salary | $110,053 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $170,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Schiff Hardin | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between an associate attorney and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Associate Attorney | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Law | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between associate attorneys' and associates' demographics:
| Associate Attorney | Associate | |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |