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Staff attorney vs litigation associate

The differences between staff attorneys and litigation associates 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 a litigation associate. Additionally, a litigation associate has an average salary of $112,116, which is higher than the $110,028 average annual salary of a staff attorney.

The top three skills for a staff attorney include litigation, legal services and juris. The most important skills for a litigation associate are litigation, law firm, and legal research.

Staff attorney vs litigation associate overview

Staff AttorneyLitigation Associate
Yearly salary$110,028$112,116
Hourly rate$52.90$53.90
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs75,4029,779
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 56%Doctoral Degree, 56%
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 a litigation associate do?

A Litigation Associate offers legal advice for individuals involved in lawsuits and represents them in court. They prepare pleading, collect evidence, defend depositions, and manage the client database.

Staff attorney vs litigation associate salary

Staff attorneys and litigation associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff AttorneyLitigation Associate
Average salary$110,028$112,116
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $173,000Between $68,000 And $182,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWhite Plains, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyNelson Mullins Riley & ScarboroughBryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Best paying industryProfessionalProfessional

Differences between staff attorney and litigation associate education

There are a few differences between a staff attorney and a litigation associate in terms of educational background:

Staff AttorneyLitigation Associate
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 56%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Staff attorney vs litigation associate demographics

Here are the differences between staff attorneys' and litigation associates' demographics:

Staff AttorneyLitigation Associate
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 47.5% Female, 52.5%Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%
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, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between staff attorney and litigation associate 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.
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Litigation associate example responsibilities.

  • Lead and assist in out-of-court resolution of actions including settlement negotiations, mediation, and arbitration.
  • Manage all aspects of motion practice and discovery in class and institutional actions involving residential mortgage-backed securities investments.
  • Represent immigrants in deportation proceedings, federal litigation and appeals.
  • Participate in complex commercial litigation group, with matters involving insurance, entertainment, products liability, utilities and investment banking.
  • Research various aspects of family law, civil procedure, and tort law.
  • Ensure business compliance with FDCPA, HIPAA, ADA, and various other regulations.
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Staff attorney vs litigation associate skills

Common staff attorney skills
  • Litigation, 17%
  • Legal Services, 8%
  • Juris, 7%
  • Legal Advice, 6%
  • Appeals, 4%
  • Administrative Agencies, 4%
Common litigation associate skills
  • Litigation, 28%
  • Law Firm, 11%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Commercial Litigation, 5%
  • Discovery Motions, 3%
  • Insurance Coverage, 3%