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The differences between legal secretaries and assistant paralegals 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 assistant paralegal takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an assistant paralegal has an average salary of $55,677, which is higher than the $41,725 average annual salary of a legal secretary.
The top three skills for a legal secretary include litigation, legal correspondence and dictation. The most important skills for an assistant paralegal are law firm, litigation, and paralegals.
| Legal Secretary | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $41,725 | $55,677 |
| Hourly rate | $20.06 | $26.77 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 13,182 | 6,331 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 54 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
Assistant paralegals are legal professionals who plan, develop, and manage cases. The assistant paralegals collect and arrange evidence and legal documents for review by attorneys and case preparation. They draft correspondence, document responses, discoveries, and pleadings. It is their duty to analyze and either write or summarize reports so that attorneys can prepare for their trials. They contact and have a conference with their clients. Among the skills the paralegal assistant needs to possess include communication, writing, research, organization, and confidentiality.
Legal secretaries and assistant paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Secretary | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $41,725 | $55,677 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $60,000 | Between $30,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Kane Russell Coleman Logan | - |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a legal secretary and an assistant paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Secretary | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Political Science |
| Most common college | Bentley University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal secretaries' and assistant paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Secretary | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Average age | 54 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| 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, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |