Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between assistant paralegals and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an assistant paralegal, becoming an assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an assistant paralegal has an average salary of $55,677, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.
The top three skills for an assistant paralegal include law firm, litigation and paralegals. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Assistant Paralegal | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $55,677 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $26.77 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | 14% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 6,331 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 46 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Assistant paralegals are legal professionals who plan, develop, and manage cases. The assistant paralegals collect and arrange evidence and legal documents for review by attorneys and case preparation. They draft correspondence, document responses, discoveries, and pleadings. It is their duty to analyze and either write or summarize reports so that attorneys can prepare for their trials. They contact and have a conference with their clients. Among the skills the paralegal assistant needs to possess include communication, writing, research, organization, and confidentiality.
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
Assistant paralegals and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Paralegal | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $55,677 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $103,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between an assistant paralegal and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Paralegal | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between assistant paralegals' and assistants' demographics:
| Assistant Paralegal | Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |