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The differences between general counsels and litigation associates 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 litigation associate. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $112,116 average annual salary of a litigation associate.
The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for a litigation associate are litigation, law firm, and legal research.
| General Counsel | Litigation Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $125,248 | $112,116 |
| Hourly rate | $60.22 | $53.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,275 | 9,779 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| 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 Litigation Associate offers legal advice for individuals involved in lawsuits and represents them in court. They prepare pleading, collect evidence, defend depositions, and manage the client database.
General counsels and litigation associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Counsel | Litigation Associate | |
| Average salary | $125,248 | $112,116 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $208,000 | Between $68,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | White Plains, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Martin's Point Health Care | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a general counsel and a litigation associate in terms of educational background:
| General Counsel | Litigation Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between general counsels' and litigation associates' demographics:
| General Counsel | Litigation Associate | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| 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, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |