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The differences between intellectual property lawyers and contract attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an intellectual property lawyer and a contract attorney. Additionally, a contract attorney has an average salary of $97,474, which is higher than the $82,730 average annual salary of an intellectual property lawyer.
The top three skills for an intellectual property lawyer include litigation, legal advice and due diligence. The most important skills for a contract attorney are litigation, e-discovery, and legal research.
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $82,730 | $97,474 |
| Hourly rate | $39.77 | $46.86 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 9,801 | 13,592 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An intellectual property (IP) lawyer is a licensed professional who is responsible for protecting a client's intellectual property as well as provide counseling about matters concerning intellectual property. Intellectual property lawyers are required to review or produce important documents and complete the analysis of highly technical materials. They prepare documents so that they can attain patents and trademarks for their client's intellectual property. Intellectual property lawyers are also required to defend businesses and individuals against the over-assertion of intellectual properties.
A contract attorney is responsible for handling their clients' legal issues and settling cases by researching, analyzing, and collecting essential files that would support the clients' claims. Contract attorneys usually work for private clients without being permanently employed in a law firm or government agency. Contract attorneys represent clients at court, assist with law proceedings, and advise clients for the necessary legal procedures. A contract attorney must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills to manage client legal matters and expertise in traditional disciplines and processes.
Intellectual property lawyers and contract attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Average salary | $82,730 | $97,474 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $168,000 | Between $60,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | Danvers, MA | San Ramon, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Seyfarth Shaw | Perkins Coie |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an intellectual property lawyer and a contract attorney in terms of educational background:
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between intellectual property lawyers' and contract attorneys' demographics:
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |