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Immigration attorney vs litigation associate

The differences between immigration attorneys and litigation associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an immigration attorney and a litigation associate. Additionally, a litigation associate has an average salary of $112,116, which is higher than the $80,187 average annual salary of an immigration attorney.

The top three skills for an immigration attorney include immigration law, business immigration and USCIS. The most important skills for a litigation associate are litigation, law firm, and legal research.

Immigration attorney vs litigation associate overview

Immigration AttorneyLitigation Associate
Yearly salary$80,187$112,116
Hourly rate$38.55$53.90
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs7,7039,779
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 47%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does an immigration attorney do?

Dealing with immigration requirements can be a daunting task. An immigration attorney helps those who are struggling with these requirements. Functioning in this role means that they serve in an advisory capacity to foreign citizens and immigrants who are required to work with the country's immigration authorities. They are the go-to guy for immigrants in matters such as Visa applications, naturalization, employment, and deportation.

What does a litigation associate do?

A Litigation Associate offers legal advice for individuals involved in lawsuits and represents them in court. They prepare pleading, collect evidence, defend depositions, and manage the client database.

Immigration attorney vs litigation associate salary

Immigration attorneys and litigation associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Immigration AttorneyLitigation Associate
Average salary$80,187$112,116
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $132,000Between $68,000 And $182,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MAWhite Plains, NY
Highest paying stateMassachusettsNew York
Best paying companySeyfarth ShawBryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between immigration attorney and litigation associate education

There are a few differences between an immigration attorney and a litigation associate in terms of educational background:

Immigration AttorneyLitigation Associate
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 47%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Immigration attorney vs litigation associate demographics

Here are the differences between immigration attorneys' and litigation associates' demographics:

Immigration AttorneyLitigation Associate
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 39.5% Female, 60.5%Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between immigration attorney and litigation associate duties and responsibilities

Immigration attorney example responsibilities.

  • Achieve a high success rate for full caseload, including after submission of complex RFE responses.
  • Manage highly demanding and detail-orient immigration litigation process as both a leader and member of legal team
  • Track LCA and maintain DOL public access files.
  • Prepare immigrant employment-base petitions under preference categories EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3.
  • Draft motions, waivers, applications, requests for evidence, and appeals to USCIS, EOIR and BIA.
  • Represent clients in employment and family-base petitions, including: H-1B, asylum, adjustment of status, and citizenship applications.
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Litigation associate example responsibilities.

  • Lead and assist in out-of-court resolution of actions including settlement negotiations, mediation, and arbitration.
  • Manage all aspects of motion practice and discovery in class and institutional actions involving residential mortgage-backed securities investments.
  • Represent immigrants in deportation proceedings, federal litigation and appeals.
  • Participate in complex commercial litigation group, with matters involving insurance, entertainment, products liability, utilities and investment banking.
  • Research various aspects of family law, civil procedure, and tort law.
  • Ensure business compliance with FDCPA, HIPAA, ADA, and various other regulations.
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Immigration attorney vs litigation associate skills

Common immigration attorney skills
  • Immigration Law, 14%
  • Business Immigration, 8%
  • USCIS, 8%
  • Waiver, 7%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Litigation, 5%
Common litigation associate skills
  • Litigation, 28%
  • Law Firm, 11%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Commercial Litigation, 5%
  • Discovery Motions, 3%
  • Insurance Coverage, 3%