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The differences between legal specialists and corporate 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 corporate paralegal takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, 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 corporate paralegal are litigation, corporate governance, and legal research.
| Legal Specialist | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $55,253 | $67,515 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $32.46 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 6,517 | 13,482 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 Corporate Paralegal helps attorneys gather information and materials in preparation for different kinds of cases, hearings, or meetings. They also work in the legal departments of large corporations and for government agencies.
Legal specialists and corporate paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Specialist | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $55,253 | $67,515 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $98,000 | Between $42,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Orrick | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a legal specialist and a corporate paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Specialist | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal specialists' and corporate paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Specialist | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% |
| 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, 19.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |