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General counsel vs senior attorney

The differences between general counsels and senior attorneys 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 senior attorney. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $111,002 average annual salary of a senior attorney.

The top three skills for a general counsel include litigation, legal issues and legal advice. The most important skills for a senior attorney are litigation, law firm, and legal advice.

General counsel vs senior attorney overview

General CounselSenior Attorney
Yearly salary$125,248$111,002
Hourly rate$60.22$53.37
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,27510,445
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Doctoral Degree, 53%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

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 senior attorney do?

A Senior Attorney supervises all activities of junior attorneys and deals with all complex legal transactions. They identify legal issues and offer businesses and their customers optimum solutions, as well as ensure that businesses respond appropriately to any legislative changes.

General counsel vs senior attorney salary

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

General CounselSenior Attorney
Average salary$125,248$111,002
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $208,000Between $67,000 And $183,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMartin's Point Health CareClifford Chance
Best paying industryFinanceProfessional

Differences between general counsel and senior attorney education

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

General CounselSenior Attorney
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Doctoral Degree, 53%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

General counsel vs senior attorney demographics

Here are the differences between general counsels' and senior attorneys' demographics:

General CounselSenior Attorney
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 61.5% Female, 38.5%Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9%
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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 6.2% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between general counsel and senior attorney 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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Senior attorney example responsibilities.

  • Manage and respond to corporate subpoenas including drafting appropriate objections and preparing witnesses for deposition.
  • Manage the death administration department with approximately thirty-five plus estates through trust administration, Medicaid estate recovery or probate.
  • Draft charging instruments, pleadings, subpoenas, consent agreements, orders and other documents pertaining to administrative enforcement litigation proceedings.
  • Experience litigation attorney, with emphasis on management of civil and matrimonial litigation, from initial interview through trial or settlement.
  • Communicate with client and insurance carriers concerning the progress of the litigation and provide recommendations regarding settlement or other claim resolution.
  • Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
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General counsel vs senior attorney skills

Common general counsel skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
  • Ethics, 4%
Common senior attorney skills
  • Litigation, 14%
  • Law Firm, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Juris, 7%
  • Legal Research, 7%
  • Legal Support, 4%