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The differences between legal administrators and assistant paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a legal administrator and an assistant paralegal. Additionally, an assistant paralegal has an average salary of $55,677, which is higher than the $47,198 average annual salary of a legal administrator.
The top three skills for a legal administrator include veterans, litigation and powerpoint. The most important skills for an assistant paralegal are law firm, litigation, and paralegals.
| Legal Administrator | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $47,198 | $55,677 |
| Hourly rate | $22.69 | $26.77 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 56,419 | 6,331 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.
Assistant paralegals are legal professionals who plan, develop, and manage cases. The assistant paralegals collect and arrange evidence and legal documents for review by attorneys and case preparation. They draft correspondence, document responses, discoveries, and pleadings. It is their duty to analyze and either write or summarize reports so that attorneys can prepare for their trials. They contact and have a conference with their clients. Among the skills the paralegal assistant needs to possess include communication, writing, research, organization, and confidentiality.
Legal administrators and assistant paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Administrator | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $47,198 | $55,677 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $66,000 | Between $30,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a legal administrator and an assistant paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Administrator | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Political Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal administrators' and assistant paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Administrator | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |