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The differences between law clerks and attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an attorney has an average salary of $109,476, which is higher than the $55,916 average annual salary of a law clerk.
The top three skills for a law clerk include litigation, legal issues and legal memos. The most important skills for an attorney are litigation, legal research, and law firm.
| Law Clerk | Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $55,916 | $109,476 |
| Hourly rate | $26.88 | $52.63 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,014 | 10,991 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Doctoral Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Law clerks are employees in a legal firm who handle clerical tasks for the office. They handle the office's official phone lines, answering incoming calls, and making outgoing calls. They also field office correspondence, often receiving incoming mail and distributing them to their addressees. They manage office documents and ensure that they are correctly filed and labeled in their respective storage bins. Law clerks help make office life more comfortable because they make sure that the office is running well. They also manage appointments and office calendars.
Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense. Attorneys must acquire strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to mediate disputes and settle pending litigation for the client's best interest. In some cases, an attorney's procedure depends on any evidence and research presented during the trial period. An attorney is expected to present clients on legal proceedings, seeking justice and justifying the law.
Law clerks and attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Law Clerk | Attorney | |
| Average salary | $55,916 | $109,476 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $114,000 | Between $69,000 And $172,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | White Plains, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Hughes Hubbard & Reed | Thompson Coburn |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a law clerk and an attorney in terms of educational background:
| Law Clerk | Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Doctoral Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between law clerks' and attorneys' demographics:
| Law Clerk | Attorney | |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% | Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 10% |