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The differences between tax attorneys and trial 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 trial attorney. Additionally, a trial attorney has an average salary of $110,340, which is higher than the $85,681 average annual salary of a tax attorney.
The top three skills for a tax attorney include litigation, law firm and real estate. The most important skills for a trial attorney are litigation, legal research, and property damage.
| Tax Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $85,681 | $110,340 |
| Hourly rate | $41.19 | $53.05 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 33,760 | 7,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 42% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Trial attorneys are responsible for representing and defending clients in court. Trial attorneys must have excellent legal research skills to assess pieces of evidence and examining relevant judicial decisions to support the client's claims. A trial attorney should also provide legal advice for the clients and guide them through the legal procedures depending on the severity of the case. Trial attorneys must be able to develop trial strategies and arguments in the court to win the judge and the trial jury's decision.
Tax attorneys and trial attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Average salary | $85,681 | $110,340 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $146,000 | Between $73,000 And $166,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a tax attorney and a trial attorney in terms of educational background:
| Tax Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 42% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between tax attorneys' and trial attorneys' demographics:
| Tax Attorney | Trial Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3% | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |