Post job

Legal assistant vs real estate paralegal

The differences between legal assistants and real estate 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 assistant and a real estate paralegal. Additionally, a real estate paralegal has an average salary of $68,387, which is higher than the $42,387 average annual salary of a legal assistant.

The top three skills for a legal assistant include litigation, legal correspondence and discovery responses. The most important skills for a real estate paralegal are law firm, litigation, and due diligence.

Legal assistant vs real estate paralegal overview

Legal AssistantReal Estate Paralegal
Yearly salary$42,387$68,387
Hourly rate$20.38$32.88
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs9,56024,369
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4646
Years of experience1212

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 a real estate paralegal do?

A Real Estate Paralegal helps real estate lawyers with a variety of tasks, such as offering advice to clients, doing research, and preparing documents. They collaborate with landlords, housing managers, or other real estate personnel.

Legal assistant vs real estate paralegal salary

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

Legal AssistantReal Estate Paralegal
Average salary$42,387$68,387
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $58,000Between $49,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyRoberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PcKane Russell Coleman Logan
Best paying industryProfessionalFinance

Differences between legal assistant and real estate paralegal education

There are a few differences between a legal assistant and a real estate paralegal in terms of educational background:

Legal AssistantReal Estate Paralegal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesLegal Support Services
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Legal assistant vs real estate paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between legal assistants' and real estate paralegals' demographics:

Legal AssistantReal Estate Paralegal
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 17.4% Female, 82.6%Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.0% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between legal assistant and real estate paralegal 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.
  • Show more

Real estate paralegal example responsibilities.

  • Manage BPO and MMR reports on properties.
  • Manage a social marketing image for the agency (Facebook).
  • Manage national referrals for quiet title actions, injunctions, wrongful foreclosures, and appeals.
  • Achieve sole responsibility for administration of all estates and guardianships.
  • Communicate directly with lenders in various states, completing affidavits and ensuring that they are properly record and organize.
  • Prepare forms for the MLS submission.
  • Show more

Legal assistant vs real estate paralegal skills

Common legal assistant skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Correspondence, 10%
  • Discovery Responses, 6%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Law Firm, 5%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
Common real estate paralegal skills
  • Law Firm, 14%
  • Litigation, 9%
  • Due Diligence, 9%
  • Probate, 4%
  • Estoppel, 4%
  • Affidavits, 4%