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Prosecutor vs contract attorney

The differences between prosecutors and contract 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 prosecutor and a contract attorney. Additionally, a contract attorney has an average salary of $97,474, which is higher than the $68,988 average annual salary of a prosecutor.

The top three skills for a prosecutor include jury trials, legal research and criminal cases. The most important skills for a contract attorney are litigation, e-discovery, and legal research.

Prosecutor vs contract attorney overview

ProsecutorContract Attorney
Yearly salary$68,988$97,474
Hourly rate$33.17$46.86
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs74913,592
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Doctoral Degree, 57%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

Prosecutor vs contract attorney salary

Prosecutors and contract attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.

ProsecutorContract Attorney
Average salary$68,988$97,474
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $98,000Between $60,000 And $158,000
Highest paying City-San Ramon, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Perkins Coie
Best paying industry--

Differences between prosecutor and contract attorney education

There are a few differences between a prosecutor and a contract attorney in terms of educational background:

ProsecutorContract Attorney
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Doctoral Degree, 57%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Prosecutor vs contract attorney demographics

Here are the differences between prosecutors' and contract attorneys' demographics:

ProsecutorContract Attorney
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 55.0% Female, 45.0%Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% 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, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between prosecutor and contract attorney duties and responsibilities

Prosecutor example responsibilities.

  • Manage, train and mentore newly hire ADA's in courtroom management and trial advocacy.
  • Draft findings for defendants to stand trial, appeals and dismissals.
  • Type various legal documents, including complaints, journal entries, and subpoenas.
  • Draft subpoenas, warrants and legal documents relating to family court and civil court matters.
  • Conduct pre-trial investigations and negotiations; prepare and litigate motions and appeals; present hearings and trials.
  • Maintain contact with local law enforcement about ongoing investigations and litigation.
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Contract attorney example responsibilities.

  • Conduct first-level document review, QC review, and privilege review for complex residential mortgage-backed securities litigation.
  • Experience in e-discovery document review teams assessing responsiveness in second requests, pharmaceutical litigation/product liability cases and patent infringement suits.
  • Consult with law firms regarding deposition and hearing preparations and provide other litigation support services for various banking and pharmaceutical antitrust matters
  • Remove confidential personal information and HIPAA.
  • Prepare deposition files, write pleadings, subpoenas and participate in other discovery-relate projects.
  • Privilege log line writing and privilege QC in large-scale anti-trust litigation/investigation of several private equity firms.
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Prosecutor vs contract attorney skills

Common prosecutor skills
  • Jury Trials, 15%
  • Legal Research, 13%
  • Criminal Cases, 8%
  • Legal Advice, 8%
  • Motion Hearings, 7%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Common contract attorney skills
  • Litigation, 23%
  • E-Discovery, 11%
  • Legal Research, 7%
  • Legal Issues, 4%
  • Real Estate, 3%
  • Intellectual Property, 3%