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The differences between law clerks and summer associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a law clerk has an average salary of $55,916, which is higher than the $42,349 average annual salary of a summer associate.
The top three skills for a law clerk include litigation, legal issues and legal memos. The most important skills for a summer associate are powerpoint, litigation, and financial models.
| Law Clerk | Summer Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $55,916 | $42,349 |
| Hourly rate | $26.88 | $20.36 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 75,014 | 7,546 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
Summer associates are law students hired seasonally by law firms. The aim is for future lawyers to be exposed to the practical aspects of a firm. Typically, this program lasts for nine weeks, beginning in May and running through July. Summer associates are expected to be friendly and kind to people, preserve company reputation, support other associates, and perform legal tasks appropriately.
Law clerks and summer associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Law Clerk | Summer Associate | |
| Average salary | $55,916 | $42,349 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $114,000 | Between $22,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Hughes Hubbard & Reed | Crowell & Moring |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a law clerk and a summer associate in terms of educational background:
| Law Clerk | Summer Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between law clerks' and summer associates' demographics:
| Law Clerk | Summer Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% | Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 9% |