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The differences between legal specialists and legal administrators 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 legal administrator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a legal specialist has an average salary of $55,253, which is higher than the $47,198 average annual salary of a legal administrator.
The top three skills for a legal specialist include legal support, legal research and proofreading. The most important skills for a legal administrator are veterans, litigation, and powerpoint.
| Legal Specialist | Legal Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $55,253 | $47,198 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $22.69 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 6,517 | 56,419 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.
Legal specialists and legal administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Specialist | Legal Administrator | |
| Average salary | $55,253 | $47,198 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $98,000 | Between $33,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Orrick | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a legal specialist and a legal administrator in terms of educational background:
| Legal Specialist | Legal Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between legal specialists' and legal administrators' demographics:
| Legal Specialist | Legal Administrator | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% |
| 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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |