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Corporate counsel vs legal counsel

The differences between corporate counsels and legal 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 a legal counsel. Additionally, a corporate counsel has an average salary of $142,515, which is higher than the $132,867 average annual salary of a legal counsel.

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

Corporate counsel vs legal counsel overview

Corporate CounselLegal Counsel
Yearly salary$142,515$132,867
Hourly rate$68.52$63.88
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs14,91310,337
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

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 a legal counsel do?

A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.

Corporate counsel vs legal counsel salary

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

Corporate CounselLegal Counsel
Average salary$142,515$132,867
Salary rangeBetween $98,000 And $207,000Between $81,000 And $216,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyPerkins CoieApple
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between corporate counsel and legal counsel education

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

Corporate CounselLegal Counsel
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Corporate counsel vs legal counsel demographics

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

Corporate CounselLegal Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 59.8% Female, 40.2%Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between corporate counsel and legal 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.
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Legal counsel example responsibilities.

  • Achieve statewide recognition as expert on Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Manage high-risk employee terminations from initial decision through preparation for appeals hearings and any subsequent legal action.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Conduct anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) due diligence on a daily basis.
  • Ensure compliance with federal securities laws, NYSE rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
  • Draft position statements for EEO and other regulatory claims.
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Corporate counsel vs legal counsel skills

Common corporate counsel skills
  • Legal Issues, 9%
  • Litigation, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 6%
  • Legal Support, 6%
  • Legal Risks, 4%
Common legal counsel skills
  • Legal Advice, 11%
  • Legal Issues, 9%
  • Litigation, 8%
  • Legal Support, 7%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Legal Risks, 4%