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Compliance officer vs general counsel

The differences between compliance officers and general counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $64,058 average annual salary of a compliance officer.

The top three skills for a compliance officer include oversight, risk management and compliance program. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

Compliance officer vs general counsel overview

Compliance OfficerGeneral Counsel
Yearly salary$64,058$125,248
Hourly rate$30.80$60.22
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs69,16150,275
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4646
Years of experience-4

What does a compliance officer do?

A compliance officer is responsible for monitoring company operations, ensuring that all the processes and members are adhering to the regulatory and procedural policies set by the company. Compliance officers' duties also include proposing compliance programs, reviewing and updating existing company policies with management approval, taking immediate actions for policy violations, and mitigating risks. A compliance officer must have extensive knowledge of legal procedures and regulatory standards to manage and evaluate problems, providing meaningful solutions, and keep the company's positive reputation.

What does a general counsel do?

A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters. They work proactively to lessen possible problems associated with legalities and potential risks. They have to monitor practices and the people within the law firm for misconduct. They also perform dominant roles in regulation, ethics, public affairs, and legislation. It is common for them to serve as the public spokesperson of the company during the publicity of legal matters.

Compliance officer vs general counsel salary

Compliance officers and general counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

Compliance OfficerGeneral Counsel
Average salary$64,058$125,248
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $96,000Between $75,000 And $208,000
Highest paying CityWilmington, DESan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateDelawareCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaMartin's Point Health Care
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between compliance officer and general counsel education

There are a few differences between a compliance officer and a general counsel in terms of educational background:

Compliance OfficerGeneral Counsel
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityStanford University

Compliance officer vs general counsel demographics

Here are the differences between compliance officers' and general counsels' demographics:

Compliance OfficerGeneral Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 48.8% Female, 51.2%Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%10%

Differences between compliance officer and general counsel duties and responsibilities

Compliance officer example responsibilities.

  • Achieve millions of dollars in possible FDA fines and remediation costs by eliminating regulatory risk.
  • Lead a team to review new HCBS final rules settings as outlined by CMS for all contract provider agencies.
  • Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
  • Track and coordinate CAPA to ensure effectiveness in root cause remediation.
  • Support senior compliance staff and legal counsel in all phases of investigation and litigation.
  • Use the Internet, Lexis Nexis and Accuity as necessary to perform EDD QA processes.
  • Show more

General counsel example responsibilities.

  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Review subpoenas and attorney letters for compliance with HIPAA and institutional guidelines and coordinate non-party depositions as needed.
  • Prepare dozens of complex commercial transactions in connection to equity and debt securities offerings.
  • Handle regulatory, compliance, licensing, and registration matters for securities broker- dealer and register investment adviser.
  • Supervise commercial litigation, arbitration and claims, including case strategy, pleadings preparation, hearings, depositions and settlement negotiations.
  • Supervise and train unit charge with securing patient medical records, ensuring compliance with Medicare and HIPAA regulations and accreditation standards.
  • Show more

Compliance officer vs general counsel skills

Common compliance officer skills
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Risk Management, 7%
  • Compliance Program, 6%
  • Compliance Issues, 5%
  • Risk Assessments, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
Common general counsel skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
  • Ethics, 4%

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