What Does a General Counsel Do?

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take litigation associate for example. On average, the litigation associates annual salary is $13,132 lower than what general counsels make on average every year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both general counsels and litigation associates positions are skilled in litigation, legal issues, and intellectual property.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a general counsel responsibility requires skills such as "legal advice," "juris," "risk management," and "ethics." Whereas a litigation associate is skilled in "discovery motions," "insurance coverage," "pre-trial motions," and "federal courts." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Litigation associates really shine in the professional industry with an average salary of $151,203. Whereas general counsels tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $135,018.

The education levels that litigation associates earn is a bit different than that of general counsels. In particular, litigation associates are 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a general counsel. Additionally, they're 12.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Next up, we have the contract attorney profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a general counsel annual salary. In fact, contract attorneys salary difference is $27,774 lower than the salary of general counsels per year.

Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. General counsels and contract attorneys both include similar skills like "litigation," "legal issues," and "legal advice" on their resumes.

But both careers also use different skills, according to real general counsel resumes. While general counsel responsibilities can utilize skills like "risk management," "ethics," "human resources," and "legal support," some contract attorneys use skills like "e-discovery," "real estate," "privilege logs," and "qc."

On the topic of education, contract attorneys earn similar levels of education than general counsels. In general, they're 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Let's now take a look at the staff attorney profession. On average, these workers make lower salaries than general counsels with a $15,220 difference per year.

By looking over several general counsels and staff attorneys resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "litigation," "legal issues," and "legal advice." But beyond that the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a general counsel is likely to be skilled in "risk management," "ethics," "human resources," and "corporate governance," while a typical staff attorney is skilled in "appeals," "administrative agencies," "real estate," and "civil rights."

Additionally, staff attorneys earn a higher salary in the professional industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $113,835. Additionally, general counsels earn an average salary of $135,018 in the finance industry.

When it comes to education, staff attorneys tend to earn similar education levels than general counsels. In fact, they're 3.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 13.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than general counsels. On average, attorneys earn a difference of $15,772 lower per year.

While their salaries may vary, general counsels and attorneys both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "litigation," "legal issues," and "legal advice. "

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "risk management," "ethics," "human resources," and "legal support" are skills that have shown up on general counsels resumes. Additionally, attorney uses skills like appeals, trial preparation, social security, and law practice on their resumes.

The average resume of attorneys showed that they earn similar levels of education to general counsels. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 2.4% less. Additionally, they're more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 4.9%.