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The differences between legal clerks and contractor-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 clerk and a contractor-paralegal. Additionally, a contractor-paralegal has an average salary of $60,686, which is higher than the $35,152 average annual salary of a legal clerk.
The top three skills for a legal clerk include litigation, legal correspondence and subpoenas. The most important skills for a contractor-paralegal are litigation, legal research, and discovery responses.
| Legal Clerk | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $35,152 | $60,686 |
| Hourly rate | $16.90 | $29.18 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 74,069 | 15,609 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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 clerks and contractor-paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Clerk | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $35,152 | $60,686 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $49,000 | Between $37,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Camarillo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Diodes Incorporated | SeaSpine |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a legal clerk and a contractor-paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Clerk | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Law | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between legal clerks' and contractor-paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Clerk | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% |
| 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |