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General counsel vs partner

The differences between general counsels and partners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a general counsel, becoming a partner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $76,119 average annual salary of a partner.

The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for a partner are patients, customer service, and healthcare.

General counsel vs partner overview

General CounselPartner
Yearly salary$125,248$76,119
Hourly rate$60.22$36.60
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,27545,758
Job satisfaction-1
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4639
Years of experience410

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 partner do?

A business partner is responsible for providing strategies and recommendations on how the business will operate, increasing its revenues while sharing profits. Business partners must have extensive knowledge of how the current market industry works to identify the best decisions for the business. A business partner should also be engaged in suggesting new services and offers that the company might consider for its clients. Business partners must also keep the confidentiality of their partnering business administration at all times.

General counsel vs partner salary

General counsels and partners have different pay scales, as shown below.

General CounselPartner
Average salary$125,248$76,119
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $208,000Between $31,000 And $182,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyMartin's Point Health CareSidley Austin
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between general counsel and partner education

There are a few differences between a general counsel and a partner in terms of educational background:

General CounselPartner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorLawBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Georgia

General counsel vs partner demographics

Here are the differences between general counsels' and partners' demographics:

General CounselPartner
Average age4639
Gender ratioMale, 61.5% Female, 38.5%Male, 62.3% Female, 37.7%
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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between general counsel and partner 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.
  • Show more

Partner example responsibilities.

  • Negotiate interim management agreement for LLC on behalf of managing member in dispute with several other members who invest in company.
  • Operate and manage a boutique technology and business consultancy with nationwide operating breadth.
  • Practice all aspects of intellectual property law and manage this boutique intellectual property law practice.
  • Accomplish matrimonial and defense litigation interrogatory consolidation, memos, motions and other court filings for senior partner.
  • Manage cost-centers and leverage unique Indian production and post- production capabilities and position the company as a prefer production partner.
  • Design and deploy advanced lightweight information technology solutions, including POS, inventory management, and production-base systems.
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General counsel vs partner skills

Common general counsel skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
  • Ethics, 4%
Common partner skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Healthcare, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Catheter, 5%