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The differences between legal administrators and attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a legal administrator, becoming an attorney takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an attorney has an average salary of $109,476, 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 attorney are litigation, legal research, and law firm.
| Legal Administrator | Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $47,198 | $109,476 |
| Hourly rate | $22.69 | $52.63 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 56,419 | 10,991 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Doctoral Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense. Attorneys must acquire strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to mediate disputes and settle pending litigation for the client's best interest. In some cases, an attorney's procedure depends on any evidence and research presented during the trial period. An attorney is expected to present clients on legal proceedings, seeking justice and justifying the law.
Legal administrators and attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Administrator | Attorney | |
| Average salary | $47,198 | $109,476 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $66,000 | Between $69,000 And $172,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | White Plains, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | Thompson Coburn |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a legal administrator and an attorney in terms of educational background:
| Legal Administrator | Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Doctoral Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal administrators' and attorneys' demographics:
| Legal Administrator | Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1% |
| 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |