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Document review attorney vs legal counsel

The differences between document review 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 document review attorney and a legal counsel. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, which is higher than the $81,181 average annual salary of a document review attorney.

The top three skills for a document review attorney include litigation, complex litigation and e-discovery software. The most important skills for a legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.

Document review attorney vs legal counsel overview

Document Review AttorneyLegal Counsel
Yearly salary$81,181$132,867
Hourly rate$39.03$63.88
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs9,39310,337
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does a document review attorney do?

A Document Review Attorney reviews various types of legal documents, such as contract and employment law, intellectual property, and commercial litigation, to identify any areas of risk or information that may need correction.

What does a legal counsel do?

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.

Document review attorney vs legal counsel salary

Document review attorneys and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

Document Review AttorneyLegal Counsel
Average salary$81,181$132,867
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $134,000Between $81,000 And $216,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyCooleyApple
Best paying industryProfessionalTechnology

Differences between document review attorney and legal counsel education

There are a few differences between a document review attorney and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:

Document Review AttorneyLegal Counsel
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Document review attorney vs legal counsel demographics

Here are the differences between document review attorneys' and legal counsels' demographics:

Document Review AttorneyLegal Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 56.7% Female, 43.3%Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between document review attorney and legal counsel duties and responsibilities

Document review attorney example responsibilities.

  • Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
  • Manage privilege log development (including extensive line drafting) and final production processes consistent with technical litigation requirements.
  • Complete electronic discovery review and analyze whether the documents are responsive, privilege or non responsive for pending products liability litigation
  • Draft claims of invalidity, injunctions, and appeals.
  • Support litigation teams on various matters, including antitrust and DOJ investigations.
  • Examine discovery production to determine compliance with HIPAA and make redactions when appropriate.
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Legal counsel example responsibilities.

  • Achieve statewide recognition as expert on Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Manage high-risk employee terminations from initial decision through preparation for appeals hearings and any subsequent legal action.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Conduct anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) due diligence on a daily basis.
  • Ensure compliance with federal securities laws, NYSE rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
  • Draft position statements for EEO and other regulatory claims.
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Document review attorney vs legal counsel skills

Common document review attorney skills
  • Litigation, 32%
  • Complex Litigation, 7%
  • E-Discovery Software, 6%
  • Law Firm, 6%
  • QC, 5%
  • Attorney-Client Privilege, 5%
Common legal counsel skills
  • Legal Advice, 11%
  • Legal Issues, 9%
  • Litigation, 8%
  • Legal Support, 7%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Legal Risks, 4%