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The differences between criminal defense lawyers 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 criminal defense lawyer and a staff attorney. Additionally, a staff attorney has an average salary of $110,028, 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 a staff attorney are litigation, legal services, and juris.
| Criminal Defense Lawyer | Staff Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $61,271 | $110,028 |
| Hourly rate | $29.46 | $52.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 2,532 | 75,402 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Criminal defense lawyers and staff attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Criminal Defense Lawyer | Staff Attorney | |
| Average salary | $61,271 | $110,028 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $105,000 | Between $69,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a criminal defense lawyer and a staff attorney in terms of educational background:
| Criminal Defense Lawyer | Staff Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | University of Richmond | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between criminal defense lawyers' and staff attorneys' demographics:
| Criminal Defense Lawyer | Staff Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |