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The differences between law interns and law clerks 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 $39,394 average annual salary of a law internship.
The top three skills for a law internship include litigation, legal issues and trial preparation. The most important skills for a law clerk are litigation, legal issues, and legal memos.
| Law Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $39,394 | $55,916 |
| Hourly rate | $18.94 | $26.88 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,663 | 75,014 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A law internship is a program that is designed for law students to give them valuable insight into the professional lives of attorneys and judges. Law interns need to understand and observe what being a lawyer involves. They are required to conduct research and present it to their superiors for case preparations. They must assist their senior lawyers in organizing all of their legal paperwork that includes case files, evidence records, and legal documents. Law interns are also required to be present in the courtroom to assist lawyers and experience actual courtroom proceedings.
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.
Law interns and law clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Law Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Average salary | $39,394 | $55,916 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $63,000 | Between $27,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | NAIC | Hughes Hubbard & Reed |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a law internship and a law clerk in terms of educational background:
| Law Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Law | Law |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between law interns' and law clerks' demographics:
| Law Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1% | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 8.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.3% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |