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Lawyer vs assistant counsel

The differences between lawyers and assistant 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 lawyer and an assistant counsel. Additionally, a lawyer has an average salary of $115,808, which is higher than the $61,229 average annual salary of an assistant counsel.

The top three skills for a lawyer include litigation, law firm and legal issues. The most important skills for an assistant counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

Lawyer vs assistant counsel overview

LawyerAssistant Counsel
Yearly salary$115,808$61,229
Hourly rate$55.68$29.44
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs2,8978,574
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does a lawyer do?

A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.

What does an assistant counsel do?

Assistant counsels are legal professionals who research and analyze various laws so they can apply them to the different legal issues that arose in a corporation. These counsels must develop an agency-wide client privacy policy and manage responses to all matters involving subpoenas and warrants. They advise other departments for legal claims related to the right of privacy and publicity as well as defamation. Assistant counsels are also required to act as labor attorneys for employees facing internal discrimination suits while dealing with FMLA, ERISA, and HIPAA issues.

Lawyer vs assistant counsel salary

Lawyers and assistant counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

LawyerAssistant Counsel
Average salary$115,808$61,229
Salary rangeBetween $64,000 And $208,000Between $36,000 And $103,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companyNelson Mullins Riley & ScarboroughBaltimore City Public Schools
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between lawyer and assistant counsel education

There are a few differences between a lawyer and an assistant counsel in terms of educational background:

LawyerAssistant Counsel
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityDuke University

Lawyer vs assistant counsel demographics

Here are the differences between lawyers' and assistant counsels' demographics:

LawyerAssistant Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 48.5% Female, 51.5%Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between lawyer and assistant counsel duties and responsibilities

Lawyer example responsibilities.

  • Participate in drafting legal documents and prepare business contracts, perform taxation duties for the enterprise and settle disputes with employees.
  • Handle all types of civil claims and provide notary services
  • Review of complaints relate to judicial ethics and employee misconduct.
  • Draft, proofread and ensure filing and service of criminal motions.
  • Draft a variety of pleadings and motions on behalf of the plaintiff.
  • Assist clients at the notary public office and negotiate licensing agreements for virtual data rooms.
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Assistant counsel example responsibilities.

  • Manage outside counsel relate to mortgage fraud recovery litigation, including cost management, litigation strategy and settlement terms.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Sell, consult and demonstrate office automation and conveyance software technology.
  • Respond to lawsuits, subpoenas, as well as draft any need legal documents.
  • Assist in drafting subpoenas, search warrants and preservation letters for social media content and mobile devices.
  • Design, develop, and implement cost-effectively litigation strategies in order to secure convictions and facilitate preferential sentencing negotiations.
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Lawyer vs assistant counsel skills

Common lawyer skills
  • Litigation, 14%
  • Law Firm, 8%
  • Legal Issues, 7%
  • Real Estate, 6%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Civil Law, 5%
Common assistant counsel skills
  • Litigation, 14%
  • Legal Issues, 11%
  • Legal Advice, 10%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Mental Health, 4%