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The differences between attorney law clerks and trial attorneys 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 $110,340 average annual salary of a trial attorney.
The top three skills for an attorney law clerk include litigation, discovery responses and settlement agreements. The most important skills for a trial attorney are litigation, legal research, and property damage.
| Attorney Law Clerk | Trial Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $112,527 | $110,340 |
| Hourly rate | $54.10 | $53.05 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 72,641 | 7,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 46% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
Trial attorneys are responsible for representing and defending clients in court. Trial attorneys must have excellent legal research skills to assess pieces of evidence and examining relevant judicial decisions to support the client's claims. A trial attorney should also provide legal advice for the clients and guide them through the legal procedures depending on the severity of the case. Trial attorneys must be able to develop trial strategies and arguments in the court to win the judge and the trial jury's decision.
Attorney law clerks and trial attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Attorney Law Clerk | Trial Attorney | |
| Average salary | $112,527 | $110,340 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $174,000 | Between $73,000 And $166,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Reed Smith | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between an attorney law clerk and a trial attorney in terms of educational background:
| Attorney Law Clerk | Trial Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 46% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between attorney law clerks' and trial attorneys' demographics:
| Attorney Law Clerk | Trial Attorney | |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5% | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 10% |