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Appellate law clerk vs principal law clerk

The differences between appellate law clerks and principal law clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal law clerk has an average salary of $55,583, which is higher than the $52,826 average annual salary of an appellate law clerk.

The top three skills for an appellate law clerk include appeals, oral arguments and appellate briefs. The most important skills for a principal law clerk are litigation, settlement conferences, and legal issues.

Appellate law clerk vs principal law clerk overview

Appellate Law ClerkPrincipal Law Clerk
Yearly salary$52,826$55,583
Hourly rate$25.40$26.72
Growth rate--
Number of jobs66,866106,314
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Doctoral Degree, 54%
Average age4141
Years of experience--

Appellate law clerk vs principal law clerk salary

Appellate law clerks and principal law clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Appellate Law ClerkPrincipal Law Clerk
Average salary$52,826$55,583
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $95,000Between $32,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between appellate law clerk and principal law clerk education

There are a few differences between an appellate law clerk and a principal law clerk in terms of educational background:

Appellate Law ClerkPrincipal Law Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Doctoral Degree, 54%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Appellate law clerk vs principal law clerk demographics

Here are the differences between appellate law clerks' and principal law clerks' demographics:

Appellate Law ClerkPrincipal Law Clerk
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 55.3% Female, 44.7%Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 8.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between appellate law clerk and principal law clerk duties and responsibilities

Appellate law clerk example responsibilities.

  • Interview clients and handle inquiries regarding discovery and trial preparation; also communicate with opposing counsel and co-counsel; issue subpoenas.
  • Develop presentations for state police officers to reinforce drunk driving and highway safety initiatives via PowerPoint.

Principal law clerk example responsibilities.

  • Represent clients in commercial arbitration.
  • Analyze petitions for allowance of appeal, appellate briefs, and intermediate appellate opinions in preparing for disposition of discretionary appeals.
  • Develop presentations for state police officers to reinforce drunk driving and highway safety initiatives via PowerPoint.

Appellate law clerk vs principal law clerk skills

Common appellate law clerk skills
  • Appeals, 38%
  • Oral Arguments, 28%
  • Appellate Briefs, 22%
  • Court Cases, 12%
Common principal law clerk skills
  • Litigation, 36%
  • Settlement Conferences, 26%
  • Legal Issues, 14%
  • Legal Research, 13%
  • Real Estate, 11%