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The differences between bankruptcy paralegals and legal clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a bankruptcy paralegal and a legal clerk. Additionally, a bankruptcy paralegal has an average salary of $55,485, which is higher than the $35,152 average annual salary of a legal clerk.
The top three skills for a bankruptcy paralegal include pacer, litigation and debtor. The most important skills for a legal clerk are litigation, legal correspondence, and subpoenas.
| Bankruptcy Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $55,485 | $35,152 |
| Hourly rate | $26.68 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 7,259 | 74,069 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Bankruptcy Paralegal assists lawyers and their clients through the bankruptcy process. Their primary duties include collecting and reviewing paperwork for petitions, drafting pleadings, and preparing all documents required by the bankruptcy court.
A legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.
Bankruptcy paralegals and legal clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bankruptcy Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Average salary | $55,485 | $35,152 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $102,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Diodes Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a bankruptcy paralegal and a legal clerk in terms of educational background:
| Bankruptcy Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Law |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between bankruptcy paralegals' and legal clerks' demographics:
| Bankruptcy Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |