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The differences between attorneys at law 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 attorney at law and a legal counsel. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, which is higher than the $108,018 average annual salary of an attorney at law.
The top three skills for an attorney at law include litigation, law firm and legal research. The most important skills for a legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.
| Attorney At Law | Legal Counsel | |
| Yearly salary | $108,018 | $132,867 |
| Hourly rate | $51.93 | $63.88 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 7,025 | 10,337 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An Attorney at Law is responsible for preparing and examining contracts involving leases, licenses, purchases, sales, etc. They advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, or legal rights and obligations.
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.
Attorneys at law and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Attorney At Law | Legal Counsel | |
| Average salary | $108,018 | $132,867 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $166,000 | Between $81,000 And $216,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | White and Williams | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between an attorney at law and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:
| Attorney At Law | Legal Counsel | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between attorneys at law' and legal counsels' demographics:
| Attorney At Law | Legal Counsel | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% |
| 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |