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The differences between corporate paralegals and senior legal assistants 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 senior legal assistant. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, which is higher than the $51,102 average annual salary of a senior legal assistant.
The top three skills for a corporate paralegal include litigation, corporate governance and legal research. The most important skills for a senior legal assistant are litigation, legal research, and legal correspondence.
| Corporate Paralegal | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $67,515 | $51,102 |
| Hourly rate | $32.46 | $24.57 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 13,482 | 9,152 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 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.
Senior legal assistants are responsible for managing junior-level assistants. They also support lawyers with various legal tasks such as conducting legal research, drafting documents, and hearing trials. These assistants must work with attorneys and clients to review various legal documents to ensure their accuracy and completeness. They gather documents for attorneys and prepare witnesses scheduled for court hearings. Senior legal assistants must also arrange the delivery of subpoenas while preparing the required affidavit of service.
Corporate paralegals and senior legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Paralegal | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $67,515 | $51,102 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $106,000 | Between $36,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a corporate paralegal and a senior legal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Paralegal | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between corporate paralegals' and senior legal assistants' demographics:
| Corporate Paralegal | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% | Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9% |
| 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, 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% |