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Attorney law clerk vs litigation associate

The differences between attorney law clerks and litigation associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an attorney law clerk has an average salary of $112,527, which is higher than the $112,116 average annual salary of a litigation associate.

The top three skills for an attorney law clerk include litigation, discovery responses and settlement agreements. The most important skills for a litigation associate are litigation, law firm, and legal research.

Attorney law clerk vs litigation associate overview

Attorney Law ClerkLitigation Associate
Yearly salary$112,527$112,116
Hourly rate$54.10$53.90
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs72,6419,779
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 46%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Average age4146
Years of experience-4

What does an attorney law clerk do?

An Attorney Law Clerk helps attorneys by assembling and organizing information for legal documents. They research and analyze law sources to prepare drafts of briefs or arguments for review and approval.

What does a litigation associate do?

A Litigation Associate offers legal advice for individuals involved in lawsuits and represents them in court. They prepare pleading, collect evidence, defend depositions, and manage the client database.

Attorney law clerk vs litigation associate salary

Attorney law clerks and litigation associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Attorney Law ClerkLitigation Associate
Average salary$112,527$112,116
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $174,000Between $68,000 And $182,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWhite Plains, NY
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companyReed SmithBryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Best paying industryProfessionalProfessional

Differences between attorney law clerk and litigation associate education

There are a few differences between an attorney law clerk and a litigation associate in terms of educational background:

Attorney Law ClerkLitigation Associate
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 46%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Attorney law clerk vs litigation associate demographics

Here are the differences between attorney law clerks' and litigation associates' demographics:

Attorney Law ClerkLitigation Associate
Average age4146
Gender ratioMale, 53.5% Female, 46.5%Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 8.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage13%10%

Differences between attorney law clerk and litigation associate duties and responsibilities

Attorney law clerk example responsibilities.

  • Draft motions, answers, memos, subpoenas, and client letters for a criminal defense attorney.
  • Conduct a general civil and commercial litigation practice, providing co- representation to either plaintiff or defendant parties in civil litigation.
  • Draft various motions, interrogatories, letters, memorandum, petitions, and jury charges in both civil and legal fields.
  • Draft real estate documents, wills and trusts, interrogatories, requests for admissions, and answers and objections to discovery.
  • Litigate contested probate matters and guardianship proceedings.
  • Conduct and defend depositions in contest probate proceedings.
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Litigation associate example responsibilities.

  • Lead and assist in out-of-court resolution of actions including settlement negotiations, mediation, and arbitration.
  • Manage all aspects of motion practice and discovery in class and institutional actions involving residential mortgage-backed securities investments.
  • Represent immigrants in deportation proceedings, federal litigation and appeals.
  • Participate in complex commercial litigation group, with matters involving insurance, entertainment, products liability, utilities and investment banking.
  • Research various aspects of family law, civil procedure, and tort law.
  • Ensure business compliance with FDCPA, HIPAA, ADA, and various other regulations.
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Attorney law clerk vs litigation associate skills

Common attorney law clerk skills
  • Litigation, 17%
  • Discovery Responses, 13%
  • Settlement Agreements, 5%
  • Pre-Trial Motions, 5%
  • Legal Issues, 4%
  • Legal Memoranda, 4%
Common litigation associate skills
  • Litigation, 28%
  • Law Firm, 11%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Commercial Litigation, 5%
  • Discovery Motions, 3%
  • Insurance Coverage, 3%