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The differences between legal receptionists and receptionist/billing clerks 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 receptionist/billing clerk. Additionally, a legal receptionist has an average salary of $32,592, which is higher than the $31,932 average annual salary of a receptionist/billing clerk.
The top three skills for a legal receptionist include law firm, paralegals and litigation. The most important skills for a receptionist/billing clerk are patients, data entry, and customer service.
| Legal Receptionist | Receptionist/Billing Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $32,592 | $31,932 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $15.35 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 23,699 | 129,530 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | High School Diploma, 31% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| 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.
A receptionist/billing clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties as needed to maintain a smooth flow of operations for the business. Receptionist/billing clerks process the customers' payment transactions, manage account payables, releasing invoices, and immediately resolve account discrepancies. A receptionist/billing clerk must have excellent communication and analytical skills, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, escalating high-level complaints to the billing management. They should also maintain records of financial documentation for reference and reconciliation as needed.
Legal receptionists and receptionist/billing clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Receptionist | Receptionist/Billing Clerk | |
| Average salary | $32,592 | $31,932 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Maria, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Winget | Leggett & Platt |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a legal receptionist and a receptionist/billing clerk in terms of educational background:
| Legal Receptionist | Receptionist/Billing Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | High School Diploma, 31% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between legal receptionists' and receptionist/billing clerks' demographics:
| Legal Receptionist | Receptionist/Billing Clerk | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.0% Female, 94.0% | Male, 7.2% Female, 92.8% |
| 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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.0% Asian, 5.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |