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The differences between contract attorneys and contracts managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a contract attorney, becoming a contracts manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a contract attorney has an average salary of $97,474, which is higher than the $72,691 average annual salary of a contracts manager.
The top three skills for a contract attorney include litigation, e-discovery and legal research. The most important skills for a contracts manager are contract management, contract administration, and contract terms.
| Contract Attorney | Contracts Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $97,474 | $72,691 |
| Hourly rate | $46.86 | $34.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 13,592 | 13,218 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A contract attorney is responsible for handling their clients' legal issues and settling cases by researching, analyzing, and collecting essential files that would support the clients' claims. Contract attorneys usually work for private clients without being permanently employed in a law firm or government agency. Contract attorneys represent clients at court, assist with law proceedings, and advise clients for the necessary legal procedures. A contract attorney must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills to manage client legal matters and expertise in traditional disciplines and processes.
A contract manager is responsible for finalizing contract agreements between the company and its clients, revising documents, creating procurement proposals, and managing breach of contracts immediately. Contract managers respond to clients' inquiries and concerns about the contract's terms, conditions, and adjustment requests. They should be highly knowledgeable with legal terms and legislation regulations, ensuring that documents align with their objectives. The contract manager should also stay updated with the latest trends to meet contract demands, identify more business opportunities to boost revenues, and achieve profitability goals.
Contract attorneys and contracts managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Attorney | Contracts Manager | |
| Average salary | $97,474 | $72,691 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $158,000 | Between $45,000 And $116,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Ramon, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Perkins Coie | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a contract attorney and a contracts manager in terms of educational background:
| Contract Attorney | Contracts Manager | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Law | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between contract attorneys' and contracts managers' demographics:
| Contract Attorney | Contracts Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% | Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |