Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between assistant paralegals and senior paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an assistant paralegal and a senior paralegal. Additionally, a senior paralegal has an average salary of $60,125, which is higher than the $55,677 average annual salary of an assistant paralegal.
The top three skills for an assistant paralegal include law firm, litigation and paralegals. The most important skills for a senior paralegal are legal research, litigation, and law firm.
| Assistant Paralegal | Senior Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $55,677 | $60,125 |
| Hourly rate | $26.77 | $28.91 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 6,331 | 4,213 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A Senior Paralegal helps attorneys acquire the information needed for legal research, document preparation, and for other assignments delegated to them. They are usually specialized in certain areas of law, such as tax law.
Assistant paralegals and senior paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Paralegal | Senior Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $55,677 | $60,125 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $103,000 | Between $38,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an assistant paralegal and a senior paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Paralegal | Senior Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between assistant paralegals' and senior paralegals' demographics:
| Assistant Paralegal | Senior Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% | Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |