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The differences between district attorneys and legal 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 district attorney and a legal counsel. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, which is higher than the $72,965 average annual salary of a district attorney.
The top three skills for a district attorney include pre-trial conferences, legal research and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.
| District Attorney | Legal Counsel | |
| Yearly salary | $72,965 | $132,867 |
| Hourly rate | $35.08 | $63.88 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 13,378 | 10,337 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
District attorneys represent the government in court and prepare criminal prosecution cases. Besides partnering on criminal investigations and evaluating police reports, district attorneys also consult with alleged perpetrators, law enforcement, and judges. They uphold professional ethics, abide by the country's prosecution laws, and supervise and guide legal clerks and associates. Moreover, district attorneys prepare and file pre-trial motions, study case law, and gather enough evidence needed to prosecute alleged perpetrators in the court. Also, they assess legal merits to bring criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators.
A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.
District attorneys and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.
| District Attorney | Legal Counsel | |
| Average salary | $72,965 | $132,867 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $107,000 | Between $81,000 And $216,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Ventura County Community Foundation | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a district attorney and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:
| District Attorney | Legal Counsel | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between district attorneys' and legal counsels' demographics:
| District Attorney | Legal Counsel | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.6% Female, 54.4% | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |