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The differences between associate attorneys and partners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an associate attorney, becoming a partner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, an associate attorney has an average salary of $110,053, which is higher than the $76,119 average annual salary of a partner.
The top three skills for an associate attorney include litigation, law firm and discovery responses. The most important skills for a partner are patients, customer service, and healthcare.
| Associate Attorney | Partner | |
| Yearly salary | $110,053 | $76,119 |
| Hourly rate | $52.91 | $36.60 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 9,183 | 45,758 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
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.
A business partner is responsible for providing strategies and recommendations on how the business will operate, increasing its revenues while sharing profits. Business partners must have extensive knowledge of how the current market industry works to identify the best decisions for the business. A business partner should also be engaged in suggesting new services and offers that the company might consider for its clients. Business partners must also keep the confidentiality of their partnering business administration at all times.
Associate attorneys and partners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Attorney | Partner | |
| Average salary | $110,053 | $76,119 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $170,000 | Between $31,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Schiff Hardin | Sidley Austin |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between an associate attorney and a partner in terms of educational background:
| Associate Attorney | Partner | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Law | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between associate attorneys' and partners' demographics:
| Associate Attorney | Partner | |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% | Male, 62.3% Female, 37.7% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |