Deputy chief counsel vs general counsel

The differences between deputy chief counsels 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 deputy chief counsel and a general counsel. Additionally, a deputy chief counsel has an average salary of $129,999, which is higher than the $125,248 average annual salary of a general counsel.

The top three skills for a deputy chief counsel include legal advice, administrative law and IRS. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

Deputy chief counsel vs general counsel overview

	Deputy Chief Counsel	General Counsel
Yearly salary	$129,999	$125,248
Hourly rate	$62.50	$60.22
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	22,780	50,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

What does a deputy chief counsel do?

Deputy Chief Counsels are responsible for directing and overseeing legal operations in a governmental department or a company. Their duties include acting as second in command in the absence of the chief counsel, supervising other legal programs, building a relationship with external constituencies and legal government departments, acting as a legal representative for a company or government, and developing attorney-client relationship policies. They also formulate legal representation strategies, provide legal advice to board members, assist with public and government inquiries, and administer legal budgeting.

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.

Deputy chief counsel vs general counsel salary

Deputy chief counsels and general counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deputy Chief Counsel	General Counsel
Average salary	$129,999	$125,248
Salary range	Between $87,000 And $193,000	Between $75,000 And $208,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Agenus	Martin's Point Health Care
Best paying industry	Media	Finance

Differences between deputy chief counsel and general counsel education

There are a few differences between a deputy chief counsel and a general counsel in terms of educational background:

	Deputy Chief Counsel	General Counsel
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Deputy chief counsel vs general counsel demographics

Here are the differences between deputy chief counsels' and general counsels' demographics:

	Deputy Chief Counsel	General Counsel
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9%	Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% 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%

Differences between deputy chief counsel and general counsel duties and responsibilities

Deputy chief counsel example responsibilities.

Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
Develop strategy, participate and support for various litigation, arbitration and/or mediation procedures regarding new and existing patent license agreements.
Draft subpoenas and last chance letters to ensure compliance as well as pretrial memoranda, answers and motions.
Contact taxpayers via mail and phone as well as draft subpoenas as well as last chance letters to ensure compliance.
Compose advisory memorandums and conduct research for counsel attorneys and appeals agents.
Provide internal assistance on corporate transaction and consolidate return questions, including at examination and appeals level.

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.

Deputy chief counsel vs general counsel skills

Common deputy chief counsel skills

Legal Advice, 28%
Administrative Law, 18%
IRS, 11%
Litigation, 8%
Revenue Service, 5%
Intellectual Property, 3%

Common general counsel skills

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

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Deputy Chief Counsel
Deputy Chief Counsel vs General Counsel

Updated January 8, 2025

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