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The differences between associate attorneys and paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an associate attorney, becoming a paralegal takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an associate attorney has an average salary of $110,053, which is higher than the $49,943 average annual salary of a paralegal.
The top three skills for an associate attorney include litigation, law firm and discovery responses. The most important skills for a paralegal are litigation, legal research, and law firm.
| Associate Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $110,053 | $49,943 |
| Hourly rate | $52.91 | $24.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 9,183 | 5,177 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
An associate attorney's role is to provide legal counseling to an individual or business entity, resolve legal disputes through crafting agreements and negotiating contract terms, and serving as an advisor or advocate. Most associate attorneys work at law firms or government agencies, supervised by more experienced personnel. Among the duties of an associate attorney includes conducting extensive research on every case, presenting factual evidence and statements, producing the legal and necessary documentation, and representing clients in formal settings.
Paralegals are law firm or legal department employees who work on cases with lawyers. They handle different activities, usually administrative or clerical, such as organizing and maintaining files, updating records, and managing correspondences, among others. Paralegals also handle different activities directly related to active cases being worked on by lawyers in the firm or department. They assist lawyers on cases by preparing materials needed for trials, conducting legal research, verifying trial facts, helping during interviews, getting statements from those involved in the case, and creating presentation materials. Paralegals should have knowledge of laws and should be familiar with landmark cases.
Associate attorneys and paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $110,053 | $49,943 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $170,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Schiff Hardin | Arnall Golden Gregory |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between an associate attorney and a paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Associate Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Law | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between associate attorneys' and paralegals' demographics:
| Associate Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |