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The differences between legal specialists and contractor-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 specialist, becoming a contractor-paralegal takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a contractor-paralegal has an average salary of $60,686, 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 a contractor-paralegal are litigation, legal research, and discovery responses.
| Legal Specialist | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $55,253 | $60,686 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $29.18 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 6,517 | 15,609 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
A Contractor-Paralegal works for a law firm or corporate legal department for a specified amount of time, or for a specified task. They can be specialized in the entertainment industry or in providing services to healthcare companies and insurance providers.
Legal specialists and contractor-paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Specialist | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $55,253 | $60,686 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $98,000 | Between $37,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Camarillo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Orrick | SeaSpine |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a legal specialist and a contractor-paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Specialist | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between legal specialists' and contractor-paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Specialist | Contractor-Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% |
| 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |