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Staff attorney vs assistant district attorney

The differences between staff attorneys and assistant district 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 staff attorney and an assistant district attorney. Additionally, a staff attorney has an average salary of $110,028, which is higher than the $73,970 average annual salary of an assistant district attorney.

The top three skills for a staff attorney include litigation, legal services and juris. The most important skills for an assistant district attorney are felony cases, criminal justice, and criminal cases.

Staff attorney vs assistant district attorney overview

Staff AttorneyAssistant District Attorney
Yearly salary$110,028$73,970
Hourly rate$52.90$35.56
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs75,40215,857
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 56%Doctoral Degree, 55%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does a staff attorney do?

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.

What does an assistant district attorney do?

An Assistant District Attorney helps the District Attorney, a government official. They represent the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses.

Staff attorney vs assistant district attorney salary

Staff attorneys and assistant district attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff AttorneyAssistant District Attorney
Average salary$110,028$73,970
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $173,000Between $50,000 And $108,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyNelson Mullins Riley & ScarboroughGwinnett Center
Best paying industryProfessionalGovernment

Differences between staff attorney and assistant district attorney education

There are a few differences between a staff attorney and an assistant district attorney in terms of educational background:

Staff AttorneyAssistant District Attorney
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 56%Doctoral Degree, 55%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Staff attorney vs assistant district attorney demographics

Here are the differences between staff attorneys' and assistant district attorneys' demographics:

Staff AttorneyAssistant District Attorney
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 47.5% Female, 52.5%Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between staff attorney and assistant district attorney duties and responsibilities

Staff attorney example responsibilities.

  • Generate an internal memorandum exploring VAWA and special immigrant juvenile cases that lead to the establishment of a new clinic program.
  • Provide statewide training for attorneys and advocates on education law and also responsible for major impact education litigation and appeals.
  • Create and conduct workshops on e-discovery, privilege, FMLA, ADA, and FLSA
  • Conduct internal FLSA (wage and hour) compliance and re-classification audits for pre-complaint resolution.
  • General practice attorney handling primarily bankruptcy, domestic relations and criminal cases, preparation of wills and trusts and probate.
  • Draft wills, powers of attorney, probate estate administration filings, divorce filings, caregiver contracts, and property deeds.
  • Show more

Assistant district attorney example responsibilities.

  • Draft search warrants, cell site orders, and subpoenas on a frequent basis as part of developing and managing investigations.
  • Handle all phases of criminal prosecution including witness interviews, grand jury presentations, hearings, trials and appeals.
  • Draft briefs, motions, orders, subpoenas, contracts and other legal documents, as well as correspondence and reports.
  • Research and co-authore multiple briefs for interlocutory appeals regarding suppression of evidence.
  • Provide presentation and legal defense of insure persons in personal injury actions through mediation and/or trial.
  • Review and analyze medical records, permanency evaluations, interrogatories, and transcripts.

Staff attorney vs assistant district attorney skills

Common staff attorney skills
  • Litigation, 17%
  • Legal Services, 8%
  • Juris, 7%
  • Legal Advice, 6%
  • Appeals, 4%
  • Administrative Agencies, 4%
Common assistant district attorney skills
  • Felony Cases, 7%
  • Criminal Justice, 7%
  • Criminal Cases, 6%
  • Litigation, 6%
  • Crime Scenes, 6%
  • Adas, 5%