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Criminal defense lawyer vs attorney

The differences between criminal defense lawyers and 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 criminal defense lawyer and an attorney. Additionally, an attorney has an average salary of $109,476, which is higher than the $61,271 average annual salary of a criminal defense lawyer.

The top three skills for a criminal defense lawyer include trial preparation, litigation and law firm. The most important skills for an attorney are litigation, legal research, and law firm.

Criminal defense lawyer vs attorney overview

Criminal Defense LawyerAttorney
Yearly salary$61,271$109,476
Hourly rate$29.46$52.63
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs2,53210,991
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Doctoral Degree, 48%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

Criminal defense lawyer vs attorney salary

Criminal defense lawyers and attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.

Criminal Defense LawyerAttorney
Average salary$61,271$109,476
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $105,000Between $69,000 And $172,000
Highest paying City-White Plains, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Thompson Coburn
Best paying industry--

Differences between criminal defense lawyer and attorney education

There are a few differences between a criminal defense lawyer and an attorney in terms of educational background:

Criminal Defense LawyerAttorney
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Doctoral Degree, 48%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of RichmondStanford University

Criminal defense lawyer vs attorney demographics

Here are the differences between criminal defense lawyers' and attorneys' demographics:

Criminal Defense LawyerAttorney
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 49.5% Female, 50.5%Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% 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, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between criminal defense lawyer and attorney duties and responsibilities

Criminal defense lawyer example responsibilities.

  • Create PowerPoint presentation used to train staff on managing copyright and trademark infringement risk.
  • Represent clients at all phases of litigation from investigations to case filing, jury trials, and appeals.
  • Issue and serve subpoenas for personal appearance at trial or hearing.
  • Major personal injury, wrongful death litigation (construction site, auto-trucking, products etc .).
  • Prepare legal documents, including notice of appearance, attorney representation letters, motions, subpoenas, and affidavits.
  • Prepare various discovery items and review documents for inclusion, including requests for evidence and information, interrogatories, and depositions.
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Attorney example responsibilities.

  • Manage the death administration department with approximately thirty-five plus estates through trust administration, Medicaid estate recovery or probate.
  • Respond to subpoenas and pleadings in litigation and in regulatory inquiries and investigations involving corporate clients.
  • Represent employers before federal administrative agencies, including inspections, administrative litigation, court-enforcement actions and appeals.
  • Litigate personal injury, and general liability matters, worker's compensation, estate planning and litigation, environmental liability litigation.
  • Create and give a presentation regarding non- attorney ethics to division staff.
  • Comply with all agency policies and procedures, including those pertaining to ethics and integrity
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Criminal defense lawyer vs attorney skills

Common criminal defense lawyer skills
  • Trial Preparation, 23%
  • Litigation, 18%
  • Law Firm, 17%
  • Criminal Cases, 12%
  • Legal Research, 8%
  • Federal Courts, 4%
Common attorney skills
  • Litigation, 19%
  • Legal Research, 9%
  • Law Firm, 8%
  • Legal Issues, 6%
  • Legal Advice, 5%
  • Juris, 4%