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General counsel vs attorney at law

The differences between general counsels and attorneys at law 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 attorney at law. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $108,018 average annual salary of an attorney at law.

The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for an attorney at law are litigation, law firm, and legal research.

General counsel vs attorney at law overview

General CounselAttorney At Law
Yearly salary$125,248$108,018
Hourly rate$60.22$51.93
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,2757,025
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Doctoral 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 attorney at law do?

An Attorney at Law is responsible for preparing and examining contracts involving leases, licenses, purchases, sales, etc. They advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, or legal rights and obligations.

General counsel vs attorney at law salary

General counsels and attorneys at law have different pay scales, as shown below.

General CounselAttorney At Law
Average salary$125,248$108,018
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $208,000Between $69,000 And $166,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMartin's Point Health CareWhite and Williams
Best paying industryFinanceRetail

Differences between general counsel and attorney at law education

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

General CounselAttorney At Law
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Doctoral Degree, 52%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

General counsel vs attorney at law demographics

Here are the differences between general counsels' and attorneys at law' demographics:

General CounselAttorney At Law
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 61.5% Female, 38.5%Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4%
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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between general counsel and attorney at law 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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Attorney at law example responsibilities.

  • Manage a civil practice focuse primarily on representing claimants in securities arbitration proceedings.
  • Support tort, real estate, probate, appellate, and business litigation with outside counsel in California.
  • Sole practice of law in the areas of corporate, juvenile matters, probate, real estate, securities and taxation.
  • File garnishment actions; defend tenants, landlords and assort other parties in proceedings in small claims and landlord tenant courts.
  • Document review for internal investigation of FDA filing practices
  • Advise technical, scientific and regulatory personnel on FDA legal requirements.
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General counsel vs attorney at law skills

Common general counsel skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
  • Ethics, 4%
Common attorney at law skills
  • Litigation, 23%
  • Law Firm, 10%
  • Legal Research, 7%
  • Juris, 4%
  • Real Estate Transactions, 3%
  • Trial Preparation, 3%