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The differences between legal receptionists and administrative receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a legal receptionist and an administrative receptionist. Additionally, a legal receptionist has an average salary of $32,592, which is higher than the $31,502 average annual salary of an administrative receptionist.
The top three skills for a legal receptionist include law firm, paralegals and litigation. The most important skills for an administrative receptionist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Legal Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,592 | $31,502 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,699 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
In law firms, a legal receptionist serves the clients' first point of contact. They are primarily in charge of greeting and professionally interacting with clients, identifying their needs, answering questions, and escorting visitors to offices. They must also perform clerical tasks such as handling calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, confirming schedules, maintaining records, managing the flow and deliveries of mails and other forms of documentation, and assisting attorneys as needed. Furthermore, a legal receptionist must manage the law firm's facilities, such as the lobby and meeting offices.
An administrative receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events. They receive packages and mail, sort documents, manage office supply inventories, create incident reports, and report suspicious guests within the premises. An administrative receptionist must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially on resolving and escalating complaints.
Legal receptionists and administrative receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $32,592 | $31,502 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Winget | Beacon Hill Staffing Group |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a legal receptionist and an administrative receptionist in terms of educational background:
| Legal Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between legal receptionists' and administrative receptionists' demographics:
| Legal Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.0% Female, 94.0% | Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.9% Asian, 5.7% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |