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The differences between legal specialists and associate attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a legal specialist and an associate attorney. Additionally, an associate attorney has an average salary of $110,053, which is higher than the $55,253 average annual salary of a legal specialist.
The top three skills for a legal specialist include legal support, legal research and proofreading. The most important skills for an associate attorney are litigation, law firm, and discovery responses.
| Legal Specialist | Associate Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $55,253 | $110,053 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $52.91 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,517 | 9,183 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A legal specialist is responsible for supporting an organization's legal department or law office by performing administrative duties to assist legal operations. Legal specialists are the clients' first point-of-contact, especially on scheduling appointments and responding to legal services inquiries and concerns. They also organize legal documents, prepare and write contracts, and help legal professionals with collecting information for their cases. A legal specialist must have comprehensive knowledge of the legal industry, including law processes and federal regulations.
An associate attorney's role is to provide legal counseling to an individual or business entity, resolve legal disputes through crafting agreements and negotiating contract terms, and serving as an advisor or advocate. Most associate attorneys work at law firms or government agencies, supervised by more experienced personnel. Among the duties of an associate attorney includes conducting extensive research on every case, presenting factual evidence and statements, producing the legal and necessary documentation, and representing clients in formal settings.
Legal specialists and associate attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Specialist | Associate Attorney | |
| Average salary | $55,253 | $110,053 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $98,000 | Between $70,000 And $170,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Orrick | Schiff Hardin |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal specialist and an associate attorney in terms of educational background:
| Legal Specialist | Associate Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal specialists' and associate attorneys' demographics:
| Legal Specialist | Associate Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |