Post job

Legal editor vs legal consultant

The differences between legal editors and legal consultants 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 legal consultant. Additionally, a legal consultant has an average salary of $75,024, 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 legal consultant are litigation, regulatory compliance, and legal research.

Legal editor vs legal consultant overview

Legal EditorLegal Consultant
Yearly salary$58,985$75,024
Hourly rate$28.36$36.07
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs9,27716,118
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does a legal editor do?

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.

What does a legal consultant do?

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.

Legal editor vs legal consultant salary

Legal editors and legal consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Legal EditorLegal Consultant
Average salary$58,985$75,024
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $103,000Between $40,000 And $139,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Alston & Bird
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between legal editor and legal consultant education

There are a few differences between a legal editor and a legal consultant in terms of educational background:

Legal EditorLegal Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Legal editor vs legal consultant demographics

Here are the differences between legal editors' and legal consultants' demographics:

Legal EditorLegal Consultant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 37.3% Female, 62.7%Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between legal editor and legal consultant duties and responsibilities

Legal editor example responsibilities.

  • Cover complex litigation, Medicare fraud enforcement, and legislative developments.
  • Update, proofread, and edit firm style guides and manuals.
  • Conduct legal and Internet research for writing projects (proficient with LEXIS).
  • Determine if a case go to trial, arbitration or mediation and conciliation.
  • Add volumes on cruise ship law and arbitration to multi-volume treatise on admiralty law.
  • Proofread ordinances and articles for various cities and towns for clarity, precision, and intelligible language.
  • Show more

Legal consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage day-to-day legal affairs of NYSE list airline.
  • Experience includes analysis and advice regarding claims relate to exotic securities agreements.
  • Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
  • Audit key financial and claim-relate regulatory processes including Medicare fraud.
  • Conduct discovery: documents productions, interrogatories, witness depositions.
  • Demonstrate expertise in preparing documents and discovery responses relate to interrogatories, request for admissions, and request for production.

Legal editor vs legal consultant skills

Common legal editor skills
  • Law Firm, 26%
  • Legal Issues, 18%
  • Legal Analysis, 12%
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Topics, 4%
  • Proofread, 4%
Common legal consultant skills
  • Litigation, 16%
  • Regulatory Compliance, 9%
  • Legal Research, 8%
  • Financial Statements, 5%
  • Client Relationships, 5%
  • Legal Issues, 5%