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The differences between corporate paralegals and legal administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a corporate paralegal and a legal administrator. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, which is higher than the $47,198 average annual salary of a legal administrator.
The top three skills for a corporate paralegal include litigation, corporate governance and legal research. The most important skills for a legal administrator are veterans, litigation, and powerpoint.
| Corporate Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $67,515 | $47,198 |
| Hourly rate | $32.46 | $22.69 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 13,482 | 56,419 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Corporate Paralegal helps attorneys gather information and materials in preparation for different kinds of cases, hearings, or meetings. They also work in the legal departments of large corporations and for government agencies.
The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.
Corporate paralegals and legal administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Average salary | $67,515 | $47,198 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $106,000 | Between $33,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a corporate paralegal and a legal administrator in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between corporate paralegals' and legal administrators' demographics:
| Corporate Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |