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Legal analyst vs contractor-paralegal

The differences between legal analysts and contractor-paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a legal analyst, becoming a contractor-paralegal takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a contractor-paralegal has an average salary of $60,686, which is higher than the $57,497 average annual salary of a legal analyst.

The top three skills for a legal analyst include legal research, litigation and powerpoint. The most important skills for a contractor-paralegal are litigation, legal research, and discovery responses.

Legal analyst vs contractor-paralegal overview

Legal AnalystContractor-Paralegal
Yearly salary$57,497$60,686
Hourly rate$27.64$29.18
Growth rate10%14%
Number of jobs6,47815,609
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age4646
Years of experience412

What does a legal analyst do?

A legal analyst is responsible for evaluating legal documents and reports to support and resolve legal matters by complying with state regulations and legislation procedures. Legal analysts compile researches to understand legal cases and coordinate with clients for in-depth counseling and executing necessary actions. They also attend court hearings and sessions to represent clients and investigate lawsuits. A legal analyst must have excellent knowledge of the law industry to examine legal contracts and assist clients with case resources.

What does a contractor-paralegal do?

A Contractor-Paralegal works for a law firm or corporate legal department for a specified amount of time, or for a specified task. They can be specialized in the entertainment industry or in providing services to healthcare companies and insurance providers.

Legal analyst vs contractor-paralegal salary

Legal analysts and contractor-paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

Legal AnalystContractor-Paralegal
Average salary$57,497$60,686
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $98,000Between $37,000 And $99,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCCamarillo, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companySchiff HardinSeaSpine
Best paying industryAutomotiveFinance

Differences between legal analyst and contractor-paralegal education

There are a few differences between a legal analyst and a contractor-paralegal in terms of educational background:

Legal AnalystContractor-Paralegal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorLawLegal Support Services
Most common collegeStanford UniversityHarvard University

Legal analyst vs contractor-paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between legal analysts' and contractor-paralegals' demographics:

Legal AnalystContractor-Paralegal
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 40.7% Female, 59.3%Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage10%9%

Differences between legal analyst and contractor-paralegal duties and responsibilities

Legal analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage probate processes for estate, including rental arrangements and maintenance of apartments.
  • Apply previous years of relevant experience to independently manage the defense of auto and fixture relate general liability litigation.
  • Manage and provide responses to incoming subpoenas and discovery requests relating to underwriting files and policy and accounting information.
  • Create and execute test plans for troubleshooting issues during SharePoint migration.
  • Process payroll including quarterly and annual reporting.
  • Respond to third party subpoenas and implement company policy of cost recovery for addressing such subpoenas.
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Contractor-paralegal example responsibilities.

  • Manage client expenses and prepare billing and financial statements using PClaw and reconcile attorney's escrow and general accounts using QuickBooks.
  • Assist staff counsels in all aspects of litigation management including factual investigation, document preparation, trial preparation and support.
  • Research using Lexis Nexis and online resources.
  • Summarize medical records, check blue-book cites, retrieve statutory and case law on LEXIS ,
  • Complete contract work for local attorneys in the areas of civil, family law, personal injury, and probate matters.
  • Prepare, compile and distribute various PowerPoint presentations.
  • Show more

Legal analyst vs contractor-paralegal skills

Common legal analyst skills
  • Legal Research, 15%
  • Litigation, 10%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Legal Issues, 5%
  • Due Diligence, 4%
  • Subpoenas, 4%
Common contractor-paralegal skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Research, 9%
  • Discovery Responses, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 7%
  • In-House Counsel, 5%
  • Contract Database, 5%