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The differences between compliance officers and legal counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, 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 legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.
| Compliance Officer | Legal Counsel | |
| Yearly salary | $64,058 | $132,867 |
| Hourly rate | $30.80 | $63.88 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 69,161 | 10,337 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
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.
Compliance officers and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Compliance Officer | Legal Counsel | |
| Average salary | $64,058 | $132,867 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $96,000 | Between $81,000 And $216,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wilmington, DE | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a compliance officer and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:
| Compliance Officer | Legal Counsel | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between compliance officers' and legal counsels' demographics:
| Compliance Officer | Legal Counsel | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.8% Female, 51.2% | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |