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The differences between law clerks and litigation paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a litigation paralegal has an average salary of $58,484, 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 litigation paralegal are litigation, law firm, and trial preparation.
| Law Clerk | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $55,916 | $58,484 |
| Hourly rate | $26.88 | $28.12 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 75,014 | 5,132 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
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.
A litigation paralegal is a specialist who is responsible for assisting attorneys throughout the trial process. On the plaintiff side, litigation paralegals conduct initial client interviews and legal research for case preparations. They assist with the preliminary examinations of witnesses and jury selection in the courtroom. Litigation paralegals often assist attorneys with case settlements and help identify issues for appeals. They must also possess excellent skills in verbal and written communication and should have great attention in detail.
Law clerks and litigation paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Law Clerk | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $55,916 | $58,484 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $114,000 | Between $40,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Hughes Hubbard & Reed | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a law clerk and a litigation paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Law Clerk | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Law | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between law clerks' and litigation paralegals' demographics:
| Law Clerk | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 9% |