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The differences between defense attorneys 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 defense attorney and a staff attorney. Additionally, a staff attorney has an average salary of $110,028, 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 staff attorney are litigation, legal services, and juris.
| Defense Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $103,209 | $110,028 |
| Hourly rate | $49.62 | $52.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,557 | 75,402 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 50% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| 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.
Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.
Defense attorneys and staff attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Defense Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Average salary | $103,209 | $110,028 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $152,000 | Between $69,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Taylor English Duma | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a defense attorney and a staff attorney in terms of educational background:
| Defense Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 50% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between defense attorneys' and staff attorneys' demographics:
| Defense Attorney | Staff Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 5.5% 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% |