Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between city attorneys and trial 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 trial attorney. Additionally, a trial attorney has an average salary of $110,340, 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 trial attorney are litigation, legal research, and property damage.
| City Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $102,836 | $110,340 |
| Hourly rate | $49.44 | $53.05 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,583 | 7,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 51% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| 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.
Trial attorneys are responsible for representing and defending clients in court. Trial attorneys must have excellent legal research skills to assess pieces of evidence and examining relevant judicial decisions to support the client's claims. A trial attorney should also provide legal advice for the clients and guide them through the legal procedures depending on the severity of the case. Trial attorneys must be able to develop trial strategies and arguments in the court to win the judge and the trial jury's decision.
City attorneys and trial attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| City Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Average salary | $102,836 | $110,340 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $158,000 | Between $73,000 And $166,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Icma-rc | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a city attorney and a trial attorney in terms of educational background:
| City Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 51% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between city attorneys' and trial attorneys' demographics:
| City Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% |
| 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, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |