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The differences between corporate attorneys and general counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a corporate attorney and a general counsel. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $115,653 average annual salary of a corporate attorney.
The top three skills for a corporate attorney include law firm, litigation and real estate. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.
| Corporate Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Yearly salary | $115,653 | $125,248 |
| Hourly rate | $55.60 | $60.22 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 20,893 | 50,275 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A corporate attorney is a corporate lawyer who acts as an agent representing a corporation's legal matters. Corporate attorneys represent the business transactions and operations and help their clients prevent expensive litigation. They advise business enterprises on their legal obligations, responsibilities, and rights. It is part of their job to recommend clients on business structures and provide an evaluation of their ventures. The lawyers are expected to develop strong communication skills, negotiation skills, attention to detail, and analytical skills.
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.
Corporate attorneys and general counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Average salary | $115,653 | $125,248 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $198,000 | Between $75,000 And $208,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton | Martin's Point Health Care |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a corporate attorney and a general counsel in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between corporate attorneys' and general counsels' demographics:
| Corporate Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% |
| 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |