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Legal assistant vs assistant

The differences between legal assistants and assistants 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 assistant, becoming an assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a legal assistant has an average salary of $42,387, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.

The top three skills for a legal assistant include litigation, legal correspondence and discovery responses. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Legal assistant vs assistant overview

Legal AssistantAssistant
Yearly salary$42,387$37,363
Hourly rate$20.38$17.96
Growth rate14%-8%
Number of jobs9,560557,900
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4650
Years of experience122

What does a legal assistant do?

Legal assistants are responsible for doing most of the administrative or clerical needs of a lawyer. They support lawyers by preparing documents for hearings or trials, conducting research for legal cases, organizing files and records, managing schedules, manning phone lines, communicating with legal clients, documenting meeting minutes, and setting up appointments. It is important for legal assistants to have a basic knowledge of laws and the judiciary system so that they can provide better support to lawyers. They should also be detail-oriented, organized, and excellent communicators.

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Legal assistant vs assistant salary

Legal assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Legal AssistantAssistant
Average salary$42,387$37,363
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $58,000Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCBoston, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyRoberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PcLatham & Watkins
Best paying industryProfessionalEducation

Differences between legal assistant and assistant education

There are a few differences between a legal assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:

Legal AssistantAssistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaWestern Carolina University

Legal assistant vs assistant demographics

Here are the differences between legal assistants' and assistants' demographics:

Legal AssistantAssistant
Average age4650
Gender ratioMale, 17.4% Female, 82.6%Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%6%

Differences between legal assistant and assistant duties and responsibilities

Legal assistant example responsibilities.

  • Complete accounting and payroll functions.- gather and process client documents.- manage daily operations of office.
  • Manage document production with various internal departments for response to DCAA investigations and third party subpoenas.
  • Assist patent attorneys by managing invention disclosure documentation and relate correspondence with outside counsel and USPTO.
  • Relocate temporarily to Chicago, Illinois to facilitate and manage electronic discovery exchange in preparation for arbitration.
  • Perform administrative tasks for managing partner and trial attorney at a medical malpractice litigation firm including daily transcription and stenography.
  • Gather and prepare documents for binders/notebooks for depositions, arbitration, hearings/trial; manage incoming document production mostly for litigation purposes.
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Assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
  • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
  • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
  • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
  • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
  • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
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Legal assistant vs assistant skills

Common legal assistant skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Correspondence, 10%
  • Discovery Responses, 6%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Law Firm, 5%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
Common assistant skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Sales Floor, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 3%