Post job

Law clerk vs corporate paralegal

The differences between law clerks and corporate paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, 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 a corporate paralegal are litigation, corporate governance, and legal research.

Law clerk vs corporate paralegal overview

Law ClerkCorporate Paralegal
Yearly salary$55,916$67,515
Hourly rate$26.88$32.46
Growth rate10%14%
Number of jobs75,01413,482
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4146
Years of experience-12

What does a law clerk do?

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.

What does a corporate paralegal do?

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.

Law clerk vs corporate paralegal salary

Law clerks and corporate paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

Law ClerkCorporate Paralegal
Average salary$55,916$67,515
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $114,000Between $42,000 And $106,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyHughes Hubbard & ReedCleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Best paying industryProfessionalFinance

Differences between law clerk and corporate paralegal education

There are a few differences between a law clerk and a corporate paralegal in terms of educational background:

Law ClerkCorporate Paralegal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorLawLegal Support Services
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Law clerk vs corporate paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between law clerks' and corporate paralegals' demographics:

Law ClerkCorporate Paralegal
Average age4146
Gender ratioMale, 52.5% Female, 47.5%Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage13%9%

Differences between law clerk and corporate paralegal duties and responsibilities

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.
  • Show more

Corporate paralegal example responsibilities.

  • Manage a team of five to prepare over 100 UCC-1 forms to meet a 48 hour deadline.
  • Achieve sole responsibility for administration of all estates and guardianships.
  • Prepare documents such as estoppel certificates, subordination agreements and commencement agreements.
  • Collect and prepare information and draft answers to department litigation including informational statements, pleadings, and affidavits.
  • Involve in all aspects of litigation support including legal research, factual investigations, document review/management, and trial preparation.
  • Analyze and review of new and existing commercial lease agreements, estoppel certificates, subordination and non-disturbance agreements and lease amendments.
  • Show more

Law clerk vs corporate paralegal skills

Common law clerk skills
  • Litigation, 16%
  • Legal Issues, 7%
  • Legal Memos, 7%
  • Pre-Trial Motions, 6%
  • Interrogatories, 4%
  • Summary Judgment, 3%
Common corporate paralegal skills
  • Litigation, 9%
  • Corporate Governance, 7%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Mergers, 5%
  • Securities, 5%
  • Excellent Organizational, 4%