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The differences between general counsels and legal consultants 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 a legal consultant. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $75,024 average annual salary of a legal consultant.
The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for a legal consultant are litigation, regulatory compliance, and legal research.
| General Counsel | Legal Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $125,248 | $75,024 |
| Hourly rate | $60.22 | $36.07 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,275 | 16,118 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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 legal consultant uses legal practice knowledge to enhance a law company's efficiency and profitability. Besides advising on the right solutions for customer productivity, marketing and development strategies, legal consultants also actively manage risks by consulting on program and legal-related issues. They help the parent law firm meet its objectives by analyzing problems and developing solutions. Other than negotiating, drafting, and reviewing legal documents, legal consultants also conduct legal research and analyze the right securities, insurance, and retirement plans.
General counsels and legal consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Counsel | Legal Consultant | |
| Average salary | $125,248 | $75,024 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $208,000 | Between $40,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Martin's Point Health Care | Alston & Bird |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a general counsel and a legal consultant in terms of educational background:
| General Counsel | Legal Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between general counsels' and legal consultants' demographics:
| General Counsel | Legal Consultant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% |
| 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |