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The differences between legal secretaries and legal clerks 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 a legal clerk takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a legal secretary has an average salary of $41,725, which is higher than the $35,152 average annual salary of a legal clerk.
The top three skills for a legal secretary include litigation, legal correspondence and dictation. The most important skills for a legal clerk are litigation, legal correspondence, and subpoenas.
| Legal Secretary | Legal Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $41,725 | $35,152 |
| Hourly rate | $20.06 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 13,182 | 74,069 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
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 secretaries and legal clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Secretary | Legal Clerk | |
| Average salary | $41,725 | $35,152 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $60,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Kane Russell Coleman Logan | Diodes Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal secretary and a legal clerk in terms of educational background:
| Legal Secretary | Legal Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | Bentley University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal secretaries' and legal clerks' demographics:
| Legal Secretary | Legal Clerk | |
| Average age | 54 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |