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Criminal defense lawyer vs law clerk

The differences between criminal defense lawyers and law clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a criminal defense lawyer has an average salary of $61,271, which is higher than the $55,916 average annual salary of a law clerk.

The top three skills for a criminal defense lawyer include trial preparation, litigation and law firm. The most important skills for a law clerk are litigation, legal issues, and legal memos.

Criminal defense lawyer vs law clerk overview

Criminal Defense LawyerLaw Clerk
Yearly salary$61,271$55,916
Hourly rate$29.46$26.88
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs2,53275,014
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4641
Years of experience4-

Criminal defense lawyer vs law clerk salary

Criminal defense lawyers and law clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Criminal Defense LawyerLaw Clerk
Average salary$61,271$55,916
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $105,000Between $27,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Hughes Hubbard & Reed
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between criminal defense lawyer and law clerk education

There are a few differences between a criminal defense lawyer and a law clerk in terms of educational background:

Criminal Defense LawyerLaw Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of RichmondStanford University

Criminal defense lawyer vs law clerk demographics

Here are the differences between criminal defense lawyers' and law clerks' demographics:

Criminal Defense LawyerLaw Clerk
Average age4641
Gender ratioMale, 49.5% Female, 50.5%Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 8.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.3% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%13%

Differences between criminal defense lawyer and law clerk duties and responsibilities

Criminal defense lawyer example responsibilities.

  • Create PowerPoint presentation used to train staff on managing copyright and trademark infringement risk.
  • Represent clients at all phases of litigation from investigations to case filing, jury trials, and appeals.
  • Issue and serve subpoenas for personal appearance at trial or hearing.
  • Major personal injury, wrongful death litigation (construction site, auto-trucking, products etc .).
  • Prepare legal documents, including notice of appearance, attorney representation letters, motions, subpoenas, and affidavits.
  • Prepare various discovery items and review documents for inclusion, including requests for evidence and information, interrogatories, and depositions.
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Law clerk example responsibilities.

  • Hire specifically to perform legal research and write memorandums on probate cases, particularly those involving litigation.
  • Conduct legal research, draft various legal documents, including complaints, social security/disability appeals, settlement demand letters and subpoenas.
  • Research and draft affirmations in support, arbitration contentions, discovery responses, and attorney correspondence for insurance fraud litigation firm.
  • Value securities by performing company valuations utilizing DCF and multiples methods.
  • Develop valuation ranges using precedent transaction, comparable company, and DCF analyses
  • Utilize LexisNexis and WestlawNext search databases to conduct legal research and data analysis.
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Criminal defense lawyer vs law clerk skills

Common criminal defense lawyer skills
  • Trial Preparation, 23%
  • Litigation, 18%
  • Law Firm, 17%
  • Criminal Cases, 12%
  • Legal Research, 8%
  • Federal Courts, 4%
Common law clerk skills
  • Litigation, 16%
  • Legal Issues, 7%
  • Legal Memos, 7%
  • Pre-Trial Motions, 6%
  • Interrogatories, 4%
  • Summary Judgment, 3%