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The differences between debt collectors and lawyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a debt collector, becoming a lawyer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a lawyer has an average salary of $115,808, which is higher than the $33,865 average annual salary of a debt collector.
The top three skills for a debt collector include customer service, outbound calls and payment arrangements. The most important skills for a lawyer are litigation, law firm, and legal issues.
| Debt Collector | Lawyer | |
| Yearly salary | $33,865 | $115,808 |
| Hourly rate | $16.28 | $55.68 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 23,385 | 2,897 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Debt collectors are also known as collection agencies and are responsible for recovering past due debts. Most of them are hired by companies to collect debt either for a fee or a percentage of the total amount recovered. Also, some debt collectors buy delinquent debts at a discount and seek to collect the debt's full amount. They have many strategies to collect debts, including calling debtor's phones, sending letters, and even visiting them at their home. However, if debtors fail to pay their due, debt collectors can either update the debtor's credit report or sue them over debt. Once sued and debtors ignore court hearings and lose by default, results could either be garnishment on debtor'debtors' wages or levies on their bank.
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
Debt collectors and lawyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Debt Collector | Lawyer | |
| Average salary | $33,865 | $115,808 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $43,000 | Between $64,000 And $208,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Mayor Ethan Berkowitz | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Construction | - |
There are a few differences between a debt collector and a lawyer in terms of educational background:
| Debt Collector | Lawyer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between debt collectors' and lawyers' demographics:
| Debt Collector | Lawyer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.7% Female, 69.3% | Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |