Corporate secretary vs general counsel

The differences between corporate secretaries and general counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a corporate secretary, becoming a general counsel takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $88,550 average annual salary of a corporate secretary.

The top three skills for a corporate secretary include corporate governance, proxy and meeting minutes. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

Corporate secretary vs general counsel overview

	Corporate Secretary	General Counsel
Yearly salary	$88,550	$125,248
Hourly rate	$42.57	$60.22
Growth rate	-8%	10%
Number of jobs	16,480	50,275
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	50	46
Years of experience	2	4

What does a corporate secretary do?

A Corporate Secretary works in promoting corporate governance and regulatory compliance. They make certain that the board of directors is equipped with the necessary tools and information in fulfilling their shareholder obligations. They ensure the integrity of an enterprise's governance framework. It is their responsibility to ensure the efficiency of business administration in compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements. Corporate Secretaries also implement the decisions of the board.

What does a general counsel do?

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 secretary vs general counsel salary

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

	Corporate Secretary	General Counsel
Average salary	$88,550	$125,248
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $132,000	Between $75,000 And $208,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Martin's Point Health Care
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between corporate secretary and general counsel education

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

	Corporate Secretary	General Counsel
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Law
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Corporate secretary vs general counsel demographics

Here are the differences between corporate secretaries' and general counsels' demographics:

	Corporate Secretary	General Counsel
Average age	50	46
Gender ratio	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%	Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	6%	10%

Differences between corporate secretary and general counsel duties and responsibilities

Corporate secretary example responsibilities.

Manage all mutual fund complex proxy solicitation matters and coordinate related shareholder meetings.
Purchase and manage investment portfolio, and supervise selling funds and investment securities.
Prepare annual proxy statement and other public disclosure statements require by federal securities laws.
Draft responses to subpoenas, interrogatories and other document requests.
Work with CFO and CPA in preparing annual tax reports.
Liaise with internal accountant and external CPA to prepare quarterly financial statements.

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General counsel example responsibilities.

Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
Review subpoenas and attorney letters for compliance with HIPAA and institutional guidelines and coordinate non-party depositions as needed.
Prepare dozens of complex commercial transactions in connection to equity and debt securities offerings.
Handle regulatory, compliance, licensing, and registration matters for securities broker- dealer and register investment adviser.
Supervise commercial litigation, arbitration and claims, including case strategy, pleadings preparation, hearings, depositions and settlement negotiations.
Supervise and train unit charge with securing patient medical records, ensuring compliance with Medicare and HIPAA regulations and accreditation standards.

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Corporate secretary vs general counsel skills

Common corporate secretary skills

Corporate Governance, 10%
Proxy, 10%
Meeting Minutes, 8%
Litigation, 7%
Travel Arrangements, 7%
Payroll Taxes, 6%

Common general counsel skills

Litigation, 12%
Legal Issues, 8%
Legal Advice, 8%
Intellectual Property, 5%
Risk Management, 4%
Ethics, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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