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The differences between legal editors and staff attorneys 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 staff attorney. Additionally, a staff attorney has an average salary of $110,028, 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 staff attorney are litigation, legal services, and juris.
| Legal Editor | Staff Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $58,985 | $110,028 |
| Hourly rate | $28.36 | $52.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 9,277 | 75,402 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| 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.
Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.
Legal editors and staff attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Editor | Staff Attorney | |
| Average salary | $58,985 | $110,028 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $103,000 | Between $69,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal editor and a staff attorney in terms of educational background:
| Legal Editor | Staff Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Doctoral Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal editors' and staff attorneys' demographics:
| Legal Editor | Staff Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |