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The differences between legal specialists and lawyers 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 a lawyer. Additionally, a lawyer has an average salary of $115,808, 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 lawyer are litigation, law firm, and legal issues.
| Legal Specialist | Lawyer | |
| Yearly salary | $55,253 | $115,808 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $55.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,517 | 2,897 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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.
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
Legal specialists and lawyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Specialist | Lawyer | |
| Average salary | $55,253 | $115,808 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $98,000 | Between $64,000 And $208,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Orrick | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a legal specialist and a lawyer in terms of educational background:
| Legal Specialist | Lawyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal specialists' and lawyers' demographics:
| Legal Specialist | Lawyer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5% |
| 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |