What does a staff counsel do?
A staff attorney provides effective and reliable legal services to clients. They are also responsible for supervising attorneys. They use their legal expertise to help deal with the day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.
Staff counsel responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real staff counsel resumes:
- Lead educational initiatives to patients such as education in safety, assertive communication, appropriate boundaries, personal hygiene and nutrition.
- Proofread and finalize legal documents, including answers, affirmations, discovery responses (interrogatories) and expert witness disclosures.
- Maintain compliance with HIPAA, CLIA and OSHA regulations.
- Draft correspondence, pleadings, subpoenas, motions, answers and agreements.
- Perform and oversee daily activities for DYS youth in detention, treatment, and revocation.
- Execute emergency protocol in the event of an emergency, administering first aid or CPR if necessary.
- Work as a team to oversee activities for DYS detain and commit youth and supervise them through daily activities.
- Gather medical records in compliance with HIPAA regulations and review ERISA lien and Medicare contracts to assist in settlement negotiations.
- Prepare correspondence, interrogatories and relate pleadings.
- Supervise and train arbitration claims processors and paralegals.
- Draft legal documents including correspondence, subpoenas and affidavits.
- Experience with preparing and defending court arbitration and binding arbitration.
- Provide support by analyzing, integrating, and incorporating essential information in to various summaries for use by litigation attorneys.
- Assist with the development and execution of legal activities and enhancements to business-area processes for an ever-growing in-house litigation collections group.
- Counsele leadership on FDA/FTC/Attorneys General/regulatory body investigations resulting in favorable treatment by numerous governmental agencies and establishing high level of trust.
Staff counsel skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Staff Counsels are proficient in Litigation, Legal Advice, and Mental Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Staff Counsels that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Litigation, 14%
Provided support by analyzing, integrating, and incorporating essential information in to various summaries for use by litigation attorneys.
- Legal Advice, 11%
Provided legal advice to the company s multinational equipment rental division.
- Mental Health, 10%
Perform individual assessments of staff members experiencing difficulty coping and/or presenting with mental health-related symptoms or disorders.
- Legal Issues, 9%
Counseled and educated business persons and senior management regarding domestic and international legal issues.
- Social Work, 7%
Engaged in multidisciplinary consultation with staff psychiatrist, psychologist, marriage and family therapist, and licensed clinical social workers.
- Legal Research, 7%
Conducted legal research and assisted on special projects to improve collection efficiency and increase liquidation on post-judgment accounts.
Most staff counsels use their skills in "litigation," "legal advice," and "mental health" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential staff counsel responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a staff counsel to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." Staff counsels often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided effective and timely communications, information, legal advice and other services to client on legal and factual issues. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling staff counsel duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." According to a staff counsel resume, here's how staff counsels can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "mentored at-risk high school students in leadership, academic, and professional development. "
Physical strength. staff counsels are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to staff counsel responsibilities, because "most recreation workers should be physically fit." A staff counsel resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments to monitor and evaluate signs and symptoms of substance abuse, mental illness, and physical health. "
Problem-solving skills. staff counsel responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." This resume example shows what staff counsels do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "managed claims and complex litigation involving international company's car and construction equipment rental business from investigation to resolution. "
The three companies that hire the most staff counsels are:
- Johns Hopkins University6 staff counsels jobs
- Heritage Insurance Holdings4 staff counsels jobs
- Live Nation Entertainment3 staff counsels jobs
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Staff counsel vs. Camp director
A camp director spearheads and oversees the operations of recreational camps and their programs. They manage the camps' daily activities and supervise the employees, ensuring that campers get to receive optimal services and experience. A camp director is mostly responsible for setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, planning events and activities, liaising with internal and external parties, and building strong relationships with business partners. Moreover, a camp director leads and motivates staff to reach goals, all while implementing the camps' safety policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between staff counsels and camp director. For instance, staff counsel responsibilities require skills such as "litigation," "legal advice," "mental health," and "legal issues." Whereas a camp director is skilled in "safety procedures," "kids," "staff supervision," and "adaptive." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Camp directors tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $37,701. In contrast, staff counsels make the biggest average salary, $77,949, in the insurance industry.The education levels that camp directors earn slightly differ from staff counsels. In particular, camp directors are 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a staff counsel. Additionally, they're 19.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Staff counsel vs. Recreation assistant
A recreational assistant is responsible for performing administrative support tasks while under the supervision of a recreational manager. Their duties revolve around planning various activities that align with the company's vision and mission, such as sporting events and other fun games. They also participate in arranging equipment and supplies such as tables and stages, facilitating programs, securing necessary permits and documentation, responding to calls and inquiries, and assisting participants. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all workers and adhere to company policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real staff counsel resumes. While staff counsel responsibilities can utilize skills like "litigation," "legal advice," "mental health," and "legal issues," recreation assistants use skills like "customer service," "mds," "recreation programs," and "patients."
On average, recreation assistants earn a lower salary than staff counsels. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, recreation assistants earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $29,963. Whereas staff counsels have higher pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $77,949.In general, recreation assistants achieve lower levels of education than staff counsels. They're 6.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 19.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Staff counsel vs. Activities director
An activities director is responsible for planning engaging events for the participants, considering individual interests and the safety of procedures and resources. Activities directors guide the activity staff on assisting the participants, ensuring that they are comfortable with joining the activities. Since most activities directors work at a healthcare facility or elderly institution, they must also monitor the health of the participants by conducting therapeutic activities and evaluate the participants' progress for every program. The activities director must be a critical-thinker, as well as have excellent communication skills to coordinate with facilities personnel for successful activity completion.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from staff counsel resumes include skills like "litigation," "legal advice," "mental health," and "legal issues," whereas an activities director is more likely to list skills in "patients," "rehabilitation," "resident care," and "customer service. "
Activities directors earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $41,547. Staff counsels earn the highest pay from the insurance industry, with an average salary of $77,949.Most activities directors achieve a similar degree level compared to staff counsels. For example, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 19.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Staff counsel vs. Recreation leader
The primary role of recreation leaders is to encourage recreational and sporting activities in various settings such as schools, parks, and youth centers. Their job requires them to motivate others to work as a team member while also promoting good morals and sportsmanship. They develop recreational and sports programs best suited for their company's client base. Other duties also include advertising the availability of recreational activities, securing funding for special events and projects, and adhering to safety practices.
Types of staff counsel
Updated January 8, 2025











