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The differences between legal clerks and senior legal assistants 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 senior legal assistant. Additionally, a senior legal assistant has an average salary of $51,102, 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 senior legal assistant are litigation, legal research, and legal correspondence.
| Legal Clerk | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,152 | $51,102 |
| Hourly rate | $16.90 | $24.57 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 74,069 | 9,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| 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.
Senior legal assistants are responsible for managing junior-level assistants. They also support lawyers with various legal tasks such as conducting legal research, drafting documents, and hearing trials. These assistants must work with attorneys and clients to review various legal documents to ensure their accuracy and completeness. They gather documents for attorneys and prepare witnesses scheduled for court hearings. Senior legal assistants must also arrange the delivery of subpoenas while preparing the required affidavit of service.
Legal clerks and senior legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Clerk | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,152 | $51,102 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $49,000 | Between $36,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Diodes Incorporated | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal clerk and a senior legal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Legal Clerk | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Law | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal clerks' and senior legal assistants' demographics:
| Legal Clerk | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |