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The differences between legal editors and general 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 legal editor and a general counsel. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $58,985 average annual salary of a legal editor.
The top three skills for a legal editor include law firm, legal issues and legal analysis. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.
| Legal Editor | General Counsel | |
| Yearly salary | $58,985 | $125,248 |
| Hourly rate | $28.36 | $60.22 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 9,277 | 50,275 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A legal editor is responsible for editing executive orders and resolutions, copyreads and proofreads a government or a company's publication. They also ensure that all pertinent documentation is under the policies and standards of an organization, company, or law firm. This career includes having sufficient organizational and management skills, very keen on details, output-oriented, and good at decision making. Also, there are some legal editors who serve as managers in a law firm or company's social media.
A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters. They work proactively to lessen possible problems associated with legalities and potential risks. They have to monitor practices and the people within the law firm for misconduct. They also perform dominant roles in regulation, ethics, public affairs, and legislation. It is common for them to serve as the public spokesperson of the company during the publicity of legal matters.
Legal editors and general counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Editor | General Counsel | |
| Average salary | $58,985 | $125,248 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $103,000 | Between $75,000 And $208,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Martin's Point Health Care |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a legal editor and a general counsel in terms of educational background:
| Legal Editor | General Counsel | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal editors' and general counsels' demographics:
| Legal Editor | General Counsel | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7% | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |