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The differences between legal consultants and attorneys at law can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a legal consultant and an attorney at law. Additionally, an attorney at law has an average salary of $108,018, which is higher than the $75,024 average annual salary of a legal consultant.
The top three skills for a legal consultant include litigation, regulatory compliance and legal research. The most important skills for an attorney at law are litigation, law firm, and legal research.
| Legal Consultant | Attorney At Law | |
| Yearly salary | $75,024 | $108,018 |
| Hourly rate | $36.07 | $51.93 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 16,118 | 7,025 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Doctoral Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A legal consultant uses legal practice knowledge to enhance a law company's efficiency and profitability. Besides advising on the right solutions for customer productivity, marketing and development strategies, legal consultants also actively manage risks by consulting on program and legal-related issues. They help the parent law firm meet its objectives by analyzing problems and developing solutions. Other than negotiating, drafting, and reviewing legal documents, legal consultants also conduct legal research and analyze the right securities, insurance, and retirement plans.
An Attorney at Law is responsible for preparing and examining contracts involving leases, licenses, purchases, sales, etc. They advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, or legal rights and obligations.
Legal consultants and attorneys at law have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Consultant | Attorney At Law | |
| Average salary | $75,024 | $108,018 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $139,000 | Between $69,000 And $166,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Alston & Bird | White and Williams |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Retail |
There are a few differences between a legal consultant and an attorney at law in terms of educational background:
| Legal Consultant | Attorney At Law | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Doctoral Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal consultants' and attorneys at law' demographics:
| Legal Consultant | Attorney At Law | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% |
| 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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |