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The differences between defense attorneys and general 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 defense attorney and a general counsel. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $103,209 average annual salary of a defense attorney.
The top three skills for a defense attorney include litigation, insurance defense and law firm. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.
| Defense Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Yearly salary | $103,209 | $125,248 |
| Hourly rate | $49.62 | $60.22 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,557 | 50,275 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A defense attorney serves as an advocate for individuals accused of committing crimes, representing and defending them at court to prove their innocence or negotiate plea bargains. As a defense attorney, they are responsible for studying everything about the case, preparing legal documents, gathering evidence, conducting interviews with the client and potential witnesses, coordinating with paralegals, and developing different strategies to defend the client during the court proceedings. They also provide counseling to clients, offer legal advice, give them updates about the case, and help them understand the procedures and risks.
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.
Defense attorneys and general counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Defense Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Average salary | $103,209 | $125,248 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $152,000 | Between $75,000 And $208,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Taylor English Duma | Martin's Point Health Care |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a defense attorney and a general counsel in terms of educational background:
| Defense Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between defense attorneys' and general counsels' demographics:
| Defense Attorney | General Counsel | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9% | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 10% | 10% |