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The differences between law interns and lawyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lawyer has an average salary of $115,808, 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 lawyer are litigation, law firm, and legal issues.
| Law Internship | Lawyer | |
| Yearly salary | $39,394 | $115,808 |
| Hourly rate | $18.94 | $55.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,663 | 2,897 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
Law interns and lawyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Law Internship | Lawyer | |
| Average salary | $39,394 | $115,808 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $63,000 | Between $64,000 And $208,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | NAIC | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a law internship and a lawyer in terms of educational background:
| Law Internship | Lawyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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 lawyers' demographics:
| Law Internship | Lawyer | |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1% | Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5% |
| 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 10% |