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The differences between corporate attorneys and staff 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 corporate attorney and a staff attorney. Additionally, a corporate attorney has an average salary of $115,653, which is higher than the $110,028 average annual salary of a staff attorney.
The top three skills for a corporate attorney include law firm, litigation and real estate. The most important skills for a staff attorney are litigation, legal services, and juris.
| Corporate Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $115,653 | $110,028 |
| Hourly rate | $55.60 | $52.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 20,893 | 75,402 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 48% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| 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.
Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.
Corporate attorneys and staff attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Average salary | $115,653 | $110,028 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $198,000 | Between $69,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a corporate attorney and a staff attorney in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 48% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between corporate attorneys' and staff attorneys' demographics:
| Corporate Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |