Guardian ad litem vs legal counsel

The differences between guardian ad litems and legal counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a guardian ad litem and a legal counsel. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, which is higher than the $47,366 average annual salary of a guardian ad litem.

The top three skills for a guardian ad litem include child abuse, social work and court hearings. The most important skills for a legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.

Guardian ad litem vs legal counsel overview

	Guardian Ad Litem	Legal Counsel
Yearly salary	$47,366	$132,867
Hourly rate	$22.77	$63.88
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	649	10,337
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Guardian ad litem vs legal counsel salary

Guardian ad litems and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Guardian Ad Litem	Legal Counsel
Average salary	$47,366	$132,867
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $74,000	Between $81,000 And $216,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Apple
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between guardian ad litem and legal counsel education

There are a few differences between a guardian ad litem and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:

	Guardian Ad Litem	Legal Counsel
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Stanford University

Guardian ad litem vs legal counsel demographics

Here are the differences between guardian ad litems' and legal counsels' demographics:

	Guardian Ad Litem	Legal Counsel
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%	Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%
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, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between guardian ad litem and legal counsel duties and responsibilities

Guardian ad litem example responsibilities.

Manage and direct all phases of criminal litigation from initial consultation through appeals process.
Coordinate with DCF, psychiatrists and evaluators.
Experience in probate as well as criminal court dockets.
Aim to protect children that have been place in foster care and DSS custody.
Observe parent-child interaction during supervise visits at DSS.
Develop and deliver PowerPoint presentations focuse theories of crime causation and crime typologies.

Legal counsel example responsibilities.

Achieve statewide recognition as expert on Medicare and Medicaid.
Manage high-risk employee terminations from initial decision through preparation for appeals hearings and any subsequent legal action.
Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
Conduct anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) due diligence on a daily basis.
Ensure compliance with federal securities laws, NYSE rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Draft position statements for EEO and other regulatory claims.

Guardian ad litem vs legal counsel skills

Common guardian ad litem skills

Child Abuse, 51%
Social Work, 7%
Court Hearings, 4%
Ad Litem, 4%
Court Reports, 4%
Legal Research, 3%

Common legal counsel skills

Legal Advice, 11%
Legal Issues, 9%
Litigation, 8%
Legal Support, 7%
Intellectual Property, 5%
Legal Risks, 4%

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Guardian Ad Litem
Guardian Ad Litem vs Legal Counsel

Updated January 8, 2025

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