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The differences between legal receptionists and secretaries 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 secretary. Additionally, a secretary has an average salary of $36,442, 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 secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.
| Legal Receptionist | Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $32,592 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,699 | 69,315 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| 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.
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Legal receptionists and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Receptionist | Secretary | |
| Average salary | $32,592 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Winget | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a legal receptionist and a secretary in terms of educational background:
| Legal Receptionist | Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal receptionists' and secretaries' demographics:
| Legal Receptionist | Secretary | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.0% Female, 94.0% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| 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, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |