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The differences between legal specialists and legal clerks 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 clerk takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a legal specialist has an average salary of $55,253, which is higher than the $35,152 average annual salary of a legal clerk.
The top three skills for a legal specialist include legal support, legal research and proofreading. The most important skills for a legal clerk are litigation, legal correspondence, and subpoenas.
| Legal Specialist | Legal Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $55,253 | $35,152 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 6,517 | 74,069 |
| 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.
A legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.
Legal specialists and legal clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Specialist | Legal Clerk | |
| Average salary | $55,253 | $35,152 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $98,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Orrick | Diodes Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal specialist and a legal clerk in terms of educational background:
| Legal Specialist | Legal Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal specialists' and legal clerks' demographics:
| Legal Specialist | Legal Clerk | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |