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The differences between corporate paralegals and paralegal specialists 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 paralegal specialist. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, which is higher than the $61,244 average annual salary of a paralegal specialist.
The top three skills for a corporate paralegal include litigation, corporate governance and legal research. The most important skills for a paralegal specialist are legal research, litigation, and government agencies.
| Corporate Paralegal | Paralegal Specialist | |
| Yearly Salary | $67,515 | $61,244 |
| Hourly rate | $32.46 | $29.44 |
| Growth Rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number Of Jobs | 13,482 | 4,185 |
| Job Satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most Common Degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
A Paralegal Specialist provides assistance to lawyers and does many of the same jobs that lawyers do. They work in various areas, such as family, environmental, or real estate law.
Corporate paralegals and paralegal specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Paralegal | Paralegal Specialist | |
| Average Salary | $67,515 | $61,244 |
| Salary Range | Between $42,000 And $106,000 | Between $35,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest Paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest Paying State | California | California |
| Best Paying Company | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | DLA Piper |
| Best Paying Industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a corporate paralegal and a paralegal specialist in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Paralegal | Paralegal Specialist | |
| Most Common Degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most Common Major | Legal Support Services | Legal Support Services |
| Most Common College | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between corporate paralegals' and paralegal specialists' demographics:
| Corporate Paralegal | Paralegal Specialist | |
| Average Age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender Ratio | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% |
| 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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |