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The differences between contract 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 a contract attorney, becoming a paralegal takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a contract attorney has an average salary of $97,474, which is higher than the $49,943 average annual salary of a paralegal.
The top three skills for a contract attorney include litigation, e-discovery and legal research. The most important skills for a paralegal are litigation, legal research, and law firm.
| Contract Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $97,474 | $49,943 |
| Hourly rate | $46.86 | $24.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 13,592 | 5,177 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A contract attorney is responsible for handling their clients' legal issues and settling cases by researching, analyzing, and collecting essential files that would support the clients' claims. Contract attorneys usually work for private clients without being permanently employed in a law firm or government agency. Contract attorneys represent clients at court, assist with law proceedings, and advise clients for the necessary legal procedures. A contract attorney must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills to manage client legal matters and expertise in traditional disciplines and processes.
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.
Contract attorneys and paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $97,474 | $49,943 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $158,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Ramon, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Perkins Coie | Arnall Golden Gregory |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a contract attorney and a paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Contract 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 contract attorneys' and paralegals' demographics:
| Contract Attorney | Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% | 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, 75.9% 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% |