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The differences between legal clerks and clerks 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 clerk, becoming a clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a legal clerk has an average salary of $35,152, which is higher than the $31,163 average annual salary of a clerk.
The top three skills for a legal clerk include litigation, legal correspondence and subpoenas. The most important skills for a clerk are basic math, math, and data entry.
| Legal Clerk | Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $35,152 | $31,163 |
| Hourly rate | $16.90 | $14.98 |
| Growth rate | 14% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 74,069 | 80,311 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.
Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.
Legal clerks and clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Clerk | Clerk | |
| Average salary | $35,152 | $31,163 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $49,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Diodes Incorporated | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a legal clerk and a clerk in terms of educational background:
| Legal Clerk | Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Law | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between legal clerks' and clerks' demographics:
| Legal Clerk | Clerk | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |