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The differences between general counsels and chief compliance officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $102,166 average annual salary of a chief compliance officer.
The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for a chief compliance officer are oversight, compliance issues, and risk management.
| General Counsel | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $125,248 | $102,166 |
| Hourly rate | $60.22 | $49.12 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 50,275 | 76,701 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
A CCO or Chief Compliance Officer's primary responsibility is to ensure all procedures or activities are compliant with the company's overall policy and adhering to legal protocols with state and federal laws. Thus, the CCO drafts, proposes and develops compliance programs for the company to implement. Through the chief compliance officer's work, the company can lessen its liabilities and issues that may cause disruptions in production. The CCO is also part of the team that ensures quality in all company processes and activities.
General counsels and chief compliance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Counsel | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Average salary | $125,248 | $102,166 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $208,000 | Between $65,000 And $159,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Martin's Point Health Care | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a general counsel and a chief compliance officer in terms of educational background:
| General Counsel | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between general counsels' and chief compliance officers' demographics:
| General Counsel | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |