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The differences between legal clerks and legal administrators 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 legal administrator. Additionally, a legal administrator has an average salary of $47,198, 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 legal administrator are veterans, litigation, and powerpoint.
| Legal Clerk | Legal Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $35,152 | $47,198 |
| Hourly rate | $16.90 | $22.69 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 74,069 | 56,419 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.
Legal clerks and legal administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Clerk | Legal Administrator | |
| Average salary | $35,152 | $47,198 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $49,000 | Between $33,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Diodes Incorporated | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a legal clerk and a legal administrator in terms of educational background:
| Legal Clerk | Legal Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Law | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal clerks' and legal administrators' demographics:
| Legal Clerk | Legal Administrator | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% |
| 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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |