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The differences between legal clerks and corporate 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 corporate paralegal. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, 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 corporate paralegal are litigation, corporate governance, and legal research.
| Legal Clerk | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $35,152 | $67,515 |
| Hourly rate | $16.90 | $32.46 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 74,069 | 13,482 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 Corporate Paralegal helps attorneys gather information and materials in preparation for different kinds of cases, hearings, or meetings. They also work in the legal departments of large corporations and for government agencies.
Legal clerks and corporate paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Clerk | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $35,152 | $67,515 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $49,000 | Between $42,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Diodes Incorporated | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a legal clerk and a corporate paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Clerk | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Law | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal clerks' and corporate paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Clerk | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% |
| 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, 19.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |