Corporate counsel vs assistant counsel

The differences between corporate counsels and assistant 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 counsel and an assistant counsel. Additionally, a corporate counsel has an average salary of $142,515, which is higher than the $61,229 average annual salary of an assistant counsel.

The top three skills for a corporate counsel include legal issues, litigation and legal advice. The most important skills for an assistant counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

Corporate counsel vs assistant counsel overview

	Corporate Counsel	Assistant Counsel
Yearly salary	$142,515	$61,229
Hourly rate	$68.52	$29.44
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	14,913	8,574
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

What does a corporate counsel do?

A Corporate Counsel, also known as a corporate lawyer, works for a business or company providing legal advice to the employer. They usually work in the employers main office, but also can travel to participate in meetings, trials, and other legal proceedings.

What does an assistant counsel do?

Assistant counsels are legal professionals who research and analyze various laws so they can apply them to the different legal issues that arose in a corporation. These counsels must develop an agency-wide client privacy policy and manage responses to all matters involving subpoenas and warrants. They advise other departments for legal claims related to the right of privacy and publicity as well as defamation. Assistant counsels are also required to act as labor attorneys for employees facing internal discrimination suits while dealing with FMLA, ERISA, and HIPAA issues.

Corporate counsel vs assistant counsel salary

Corporate counsels and assistant counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Counsel	Assistant Counsel
Average salary	$142,515	$61,229
Salary range	Between $98,000 And $207,000	Between $36,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Perkins Coie	Baltimore City Public Schools
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between corporate counsel and assistant counsel education

There are a few differences between a corporate counsel and an assistant counsel in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Counsel	Assistant Counsel
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	Duke University

Corporate counsel vs assistant counsel demographics

Here are the differences between corporate counsels' and assistant counsels' demographics:

	Corporate Counsel	Assistant Counsel
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2%	Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7%
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, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between corporate counsel and assistant counsel duties and responsibilities

Corporate counsel example responsibilities.

Lead and conduct interrogatories and depositions.
Develop, implement and manage key business ethics programs including FCPA compliance and other anti-bribery/anti-kickback programs.
Manage all product liability, general commercial, environmental, intellectual property and real estate relate claims and litigation matters.
Manage all aspects of lease-relate litigation involving commercial, collection and personal injury lawsuits, including case planning and discovery processes.
Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
Prepare corporate governance documentation, codes of ethics and negotiate acquisition, ventures and outsourcing.

Assistant counsel example responsibilities.

Manage outside counsel relate to mortgage fraud recovery litigation, including cost management, litigation strategy and settlement terms.
Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
Sell, consult and demonstrate office automation and conveyance software technology.
Respond to lawsuits, subpoenas, as well as draft any need legal documents.
Assist in drafting subpoenas, search warrants and preservation letters for social media content and mobile devices.
Design, develop, and implement cost-effectively litigation strategies in order to secure convictions and facilitate preferential sentencing negotiations.

Corporate counsel vs assistant counsel skills

Common corporate counsel skills

Legal Issues, 9%
Litigation, 8%
Legal Advice, 8%
Intellectual Property, 6%
Legal Support, 6%
Legal Risks, 4%

Common assistant counsel skills

Litigation, 14%
Legal Issues, 11%
Legal Advice, 10%
Legal Research, 6%
Intellectual Property, 5%
Mental Health, 4%

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Corporate Counsel
Corporate Counsel vs Assistant Counsel

Updated January 8, 2025

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