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The differences between contract attorneys and district 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 contract attorney and a district attorney. Additionally, a contract attorney has an average salary of $97,474, which is higher than the $72,965 average annual salary of a district attorney.
The top three skills for a contract attorney include litigation, e-discovery and legal research. The most important skills for a district attorney are pre-trial conferences, legal research, and law enforcement agencies.
| Contract Attorney | District Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $97,474 | $72,965 |
| Hourly rate | $46.86 | $35.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 13,592 | 13,378 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
District attorneys represent the government in court and prepare criminal prosecution cases. Besides partnering on criminal investigations and evaluating police reports, district attorneys also consult with alleged perpetrators, law enforcement, and judges. They uphold professional ethics, abide by the country's prosecution laws, and supervise and guide legal clerks and associates. Moreover, district attorneys prepare and file pre-trial motions, study case law, and gather enough evidence needed to prosecute alleged perpetrators in the court. Also, they assess legal merits to bring criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators.
Contract attorneys and district attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Attorney | District Attorney | |
| Average salary | $97,474 | $72,965 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $158,000 | Between $49,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Ramon, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Perkins Coie | Ventura County Community Foundation |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a contract attorney and a district attorney in terms of educational background:
| Contract Attorney | District Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between contract attorneys' and district attorneys' demographics:
| Contract Attorney | District Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% | Male, 45.6% Female, 54.4% |
| 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |