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The differences between legal receptionists and front office assistants 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 a front office assistant. Additionally, a front office assistant has an average salary of $32,913, which is higher than the $32,592 average annual salary of a legal receptionist.
The top three skills for a legal receptionist include law firm, paralegals and litigation. The most important skills for a front office assistant are patients, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.
| Legal Receptionist | Front Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,592 | $32,913 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $15.82 |
| Growth rate | - | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 23,699 | 149,847 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 24% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| 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.
Front office assistants typically work and perform their duty within the office. They do office support duties like welcome and greet customers, answer phone calls, and schedule and plan appointments. It is their responsibility to sort mails, route calls, and listen to voicemails. They need to organize and give out communications promptly. Also, they do clerical tasks, manage inventory, and maintain their work area. They must be keen to details, can multitask and have excellent communication and customer service skills.
Legal receptionists and front office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Receptionist | Front Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,592 | $32,913 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Winget | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a legal receptionist and a front office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Legal Receptionist | Front Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal receptionists' and front office assistants' demographics:
| Legal Receptionist | Front Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.0% Female, 94.0% | Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |