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Tax attorney vs district attorney

The differences between tax attorneys and 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 tax attorney and a district attorney. Additionally, a tax attorney has an average salary of $85,681, which is higher than the $72,965 average annual salary of a district attorney.

The top three skills for a tax attorney include litigation, law firm and real estate. The most important skills for a district attorney are pre-trial conferences, legal research, and law enforcement agencies.

Tax attorney vs district attorney overview

Tax AttorneyDistrict Attorney
Yearly salary$85,681$72,965
Hourly rate$41.19$35.08
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs33,76013,378
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does a tax attorney do?

A tax attorney specializes in assisting clients in understanding tax laws. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting extensive research, meeting with clients to conduct initial assessments and interviews, understanding their needs, and helping them make business decisions by providing legal taxation advice. A tax attorney may also help clients to find ways to minimize their tax deductions. Furthermore, aside from working with individuals, a tax attorney may also work for companies as part of their legal team.

What does a district attorney do?

District attorneys represent the government in court and prepare criminal prosecution cases. Besides partnering on criminal investigations and evaluating police reports, district attorneys also consult with alleged perpetrators, law enforcement, and judges. They uphold professional ethics, abide by the country's prosecution laws, and supervise and guide legal clerks and associates. Moreover, district attorneys prepare and file pre-trial motions, study case law, and gather enough evidence needed to prosecute alleged perpetrators in the court. Also, they assess legal merits to bring criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators.

Tax attorney vs district attorney salary

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

Tax AttorneyDistrict Attorney
Average salary$85,681$72,965
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $146,000Between $49,000 And $107,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & FeldVentura County Community Foundation
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between tax attorney and district attorney education

There are a few differences between a tax attorney and a district attorney in terms of educational background:

Tax AttorneyDistrict Attorney
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tax attorney vs district attorney demographics

Here are the differences between tax attorneys' and district attorneys' demographics:

Tax AttorneyDistrict Attorney
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 62.7% Female, 37.3%Male, 45.6% Female, 54.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between tax attorney and district attorney duties and responsibilities

Tax attorney example responsibilities.

  • Manage the death administration department with approximately thirty-five plus estates through trust administration, Medicaid estate recovery or probate.
  • Review IRS propose regulations, advisory letters and technical advice memorandums for tax litigation.
  • Probate practice - estates and protect individuals.
  • Participate in legal document review and compliance for large complex civil litigation matters.
  • Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
  • Handle all aspects of discovery including preparing interrogatories, document requests, taking and defending depositions and responding to discovery requests.

District attorney example responsibilities.

  • Manage, train and mentore newly hire ADA's in courtroom management and trial advocacy.
  • Maintain legal files and filing/tracking systems on all court cases, appeals, invoices and billings.
  • Research, analyze and write response to an order to show cause in appeals proceeding.
  • Represent county officials in arbitration proceedings and employment litigation matters.
  • Prosecute misdemeanor caseload in criminal court through various stages of litigation up until trial
  • Calculate restitution, issue subpoenas, and contact victims regarding upcoming trials and other court determinations.
  • Show more

Tax attorney vs district attorney skills

Common tax attorney skills
  • Litigation, 13%
  • Law Firm, 12%
  • Real Estate, 8%
  • Taxation, 5%
  • International Tax, 4%
  • IRS, 4%
Common district attorney skills
  • Pre-Trial Conferences, 10%
  • Legal Research, 10%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
  • Criminal Cases, 4%
  • Felony Cases, 4%