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The differences between legal secretaries and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a legal secretary, becoming an administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a legal secretary has an average salary of $41,725, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a legal secretary include litigation, legal correspondence and dictation. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Legal Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $41,725 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $20.06 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 13,182 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 54 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Legal secretaries are employees in a law firm who are responsible for many administrative tasks. They handle the tasks such as filing and keeping records, ensuring that all documents are stored properly, and update contact information data and other essential office databases. They must also be knowledgeable on the law because they are, at times, assigned to draw up legal documents such as motions and subpoenas, conduct legal research, and write up other important office memoranda. Legal secretaries should be organized, trustworthy, and level-headed.
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $41,725 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $60,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Kane Russell Coleman Logan | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a legal secretary and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Legal Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Bentley University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between legal secretaries' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Legal Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 54 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 6% |