Patent analyst vs general counsel

The differences between patent analysts 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 patent analyst and a general counsel. Additionally, a general counsel has an average salary of $125,248, which is higher than the $77,926 average annual salary of a patent analyst.

The top three skills for a patent analyst include search reports, technical aspects and medical devices. The most important skills for a general counsel are litigation, legal issues, and legal advice.

Patent analyst vs general counsel overview

	Patent Analyst	General Counsel
Yearly salary	$77,926	$125,248
Hourly rate	$37.46	$60.22
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	328	50,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patent analyst do?

Being a patent analyst involves comparing products that are already in the market to new inventions and innovations. You will be responsible for ensuring and upholding government assurance of the originality and ownership of an invention. Patent analysis involves the examination of every aspect of an invention, including the blueprints, the pieces, the assembly, the raw material used, and etc. The role requires the evaluation of uses and specifications of an invention, classification, and then a written report based on the analysis.

What does a general counsel do?

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.

Patent analyst vs general counsel salary

Patent analysts and general counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patent Analyst	General Counsel
Average salary	$77,926	$125,248
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $129,000	Between $75,000 And $208,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Morrison & Foerster	Martin's Point Health Care
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between patent analyst and general counsel education

There are a few differences between a patent analyst and a general counsel in terms of educational background:

	Patent Analyst	General Counsel
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Patent analyst vs general counsel demographics

Here are the differences between patent analysts' and general counsels' demographics:

	Patent Analyst	General Counsel
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%	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, 75.8% 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%

Differences between patent analyst and general counsel duties and responsibilities

Patent analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and provide responses to incoming subpoenas and discovery requests relating to underwriting files and policy and accounting information.
Conduct invalidation search, freedom-to-operate search and landscape studies in USPTO, EPO, WIPO and Chinese patent database SIPO
Perform patentability, invalidity, freedom to operate (FTO), and evidence of use searches.
Evaluate complex patent portfolios for licensing value and litigation suitability.
Review completed applications for compliance with USPTO contract and quality requirements.
Manage and provide responses to incoming subpoenas and discovery requests relating to underwriting files and policy and accounting information.

General counsel example responsibilities.

Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
Review subpoenas and attorney letters for compliance with HIPAA and institutional guidelines and coordinate non-party depositions as needed.
Prepare dozens of complex commercial transactions in connection to equity and debt securities offerings.
Handle regulatory, compliance, licensing, and registration matters for securities broker- dealer and register investment adviser.
Supervise commercial litigation, arbitration and claims, including case strategy, pleadings preparation, hearings, depositions and settlement negotiations.
Supervise and train unit charge with securing patient medical records, ensuring compliance with Medicare and HIPAA regulations and accreditation standards.

Patent analyst vs general counsel skills

Common patent analyst skills

Search Reports, 19%
Technical Aspects, 11%
Medical Devices, 7%
USPTO, 7%
Mechanical Engineering, 6%
Freedom-To-Operate, 6%

Common general counsel skills

Litigation, 12%
Legal Issues, 8%
Legal Advice, 8%
Intellectual Property, 5%
Risk Management, 4%
Ethics, 4%

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Patent Analyst
Patent Analyst vs General Counsel

Updated January 8, 2025

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