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The differences between city attorneys and staff attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a city attorney and a staff attorney. Additionally, a staff attorney has an average salary of $110,028, which is higher than the $102,836 average annual salary of a city attorney.
The top three skills for a city attorney include litigation, legal research and legal advice. The most important skills for a staff attorney are litigation, legal services, and juris.
| City Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $102,836 | $110,028 |
| Hourly rate | $49.44 | $52.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,583 | 75,402 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 51% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A city attorney typically works for the government and focuses on giving legal advice to city leaders when it comes to various matters that affect the city. Their responsibilities include maintaining knowledge of the latest changes in state and federal laws, helping city officials and staff understand procedures, drafting and reviewing contracts and laws, and performing extensive research and analysis. There are also instances when a city attorney may provide legal advice to citizens and even represent government agencies.
Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.
City attorneys and staff attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| City Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Average salary | $102,836 | $110,028 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $158,000 | Between $69,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Icma-rc | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a city attorney and a staff attorney in terms of educational background:
| City Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 51% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between city attorneys' and staff attorneys' demographics:
| City Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |