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The differences between legal receptionists and legal clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a legal receptionist, becoming a legal clerk takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a legal clerk has an average salary of $35,152, 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 legal clerk are litigation, legal correspondence, and subpoenas.
| Legal Receptionist | Legal Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $32,592 | $35,152 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | - | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 23,699 | 74,069 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
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.
Legal receptionists and legal clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Receptionist | Legal Clerk | |
| Average salary | $32,592 | $35,152 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Winget | Diodes Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal receptionist and a legal clerk in terms of educational background:
| Legal Receptionist | Legal Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Law |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal receptionists' and legal clerks' demographics:
| Legal Receptionist | Legal Clerk | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.0% Female, 94.0% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| 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, 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 | 6% | 9% |