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General counsel vs assistant counsel

The differences between general counsels and assistant 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 general counsel and an assistant counsel. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $61,229 average annual salary of an assistant counsel.

The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for an assistant counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

General counsel vs assistant counsel overview

General CounselAssistant Counsel
Yearly salary$125,248$61,229
Hourly rate$60.22$29.44
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,2758,574
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

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.

What does an assistant counsel do?

Assistant counsels are legal professionals who research and analyze various laws so they can apply them to the different legal issues that arose in a corporation. These counsels must develop an agency-wide client privacy policy and manage responses to all matters involving subpoenas and warrants. They advise other departments for legal claims related to the right of privacy and publicity as well as defamation. Assistant counsels are also required to act as labor attorneys for employees facing internal discrimination suits while dealing with FMLA, ERISA, and HIPAA issues.

General counsel vs assistant counsel salary

General counsels and assistant counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

General CounselAssistant Counsel
Average salary$125,248$61,229
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $208,000Between $36,000 And $103,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyMartin's Point Health CareBaltimore City Public Schools
Best paying industryFinanceGovernment

Differences between general counsel and assistant counsel education

There are a few differences between a general counsel and an assistant counsel in terms of educational background:

General CounselAssistant Counsel
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityDuke University

General counsel vs assistant counsel demographics

Here are the differences between general counsels' and assistant counsels' demographics:

General CounselAssistant Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 61.5% Female, 38.5%Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7%
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, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between general counsel and assistant counsel duties and responsibilities

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.
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Assistant counsel example responsibilities.

  • Manage outside counsel relate to mortgage fraud recovery litigation, including cost management, litigation strategy and settlement terms.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Sell, consult and demonstrate office automation and conveyance software technology.
  • Respond to lawsuits, subpoenas, as well as draft any need legal documents.
  • Assist in drafting subpoenas, search warrants and preservation letters for social media content and mobile devices.
  • Design, develop, and implement cost-effectively litigation strategies in order to secure convictions and facilitate preferential sentencing negotiations.
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General counsel vs assistant counsel skills

Common general counsel skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
  • Ethics, 4%
Common assistant counsel skills
  • Litigation, 14%
  • Legal Issues, 11%
  • Legal Advice, 10%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Mental Health, 4%