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General counsel vs chief compliance officer

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 vs chief compliance officer overview

General CounselChief Compliance Officer
Yearly salary$125,248$102,166
Hourly rate$60.22$49.12
Growth rate10%-
Number of jobs50,27576,701
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4646
Years of experience4-

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 a chief compliance officer do?

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 counsel vs chief compliance officer salary

General counsels and chief compliance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

General CounselChief Compliance Officer
Average salary$125,248$102,166
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $208,000Between $65,000 And $159,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaDelaware
Best paying companyMartin's Point Health CareMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between general counsel and chief compliance officer education

There are a few differences between a general counsel and a chief compliance officer in terms of educational background:

General CounselChief Compliance Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityHarvard University

General counsel vs chief compliance officer demographics

Here are the differences between general counsels' and chief compliance officers' demographics:

General CounselChief Compliance Officer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 61.5% Female, 38.5%Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%
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, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage10%12%

Differences between general counsel and chief compliance officer 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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Chief compliance officer example responsibilities.

  • Achieve desired results of no material audits or investigations thereafter by CMS or OIG.
  • Respond to all regulatory inquiries and manage FINRA routine and trading examinations.
  • Manage successful litigation, arbitration and mediation proceedings, including commercial disputes, product liability, employment and intellectual property.
  • Work closely with industry-leading securities attorneys in matters of pending litigation, consumer complaints, and regulatory investigations.
  • Develop, maintain and enforce policies and procedures relate to anti-money laundering, ethics training, and business continuity.
  • Draft complete sets of HIPAA privacy and security policies and regularly advise clients on state and federal privacy issues.
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General counsel vs chief compliance officer skills

Common general counsel skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
  • Ethics, 4%
Common chief compliance officer skills
  • Oversight, 8%
  • Compliance Issues, 6%
  • Risk Management, 6%
  • Ethics, 6%
  • Regulatory Compliance, 5%
  • Risk Assessments, 5%