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The differences between legal technicians and assistant paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a legal technician and an assistant paralegal. Additionally, a legal technician has an average salary of $62,283, which is higher than the $55,677 average annual salary of an assistant paralegal.
The top three skills for a legal technician include litigation, sharepoint and legal research. The most important skills for an assistant paralegal are law firm, litigation, and paralegals.
| Legal Technician | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $62,283 | $55,677 |
| Hourly rate | $29.94 | $26.77 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 29,700 | 6,331 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Legal Technician is a person who maintains and inspects all equipment by having a proper document, including the marking. They are responsible for ensuring that all duties and schedules will be on time. This career is for someone who has a clear vision since their task is to check the accuracy and equipment quality. They must have practical communication skills and suitable deductive and analytic types of reasoning, and know how to evaluate the product or machinery's information.
Assistant paralegals are legal professionals who plan, develop, and manage cases. The assistant paralegals collect and arrange evidence and legal documents for review by attorneys and case preparation. They draft correspondence, document responses, discoveries, and pleadings. It is their duty to analyze and either write or summarize reports so that attorneys can prepare for their trials. They contact and have a conference with their clients. Among the skills the paralegal assistant needs to possess include communication, writing, research, organization, and confidentiality.
Legal technicians and assistant paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Technician | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $62,283 | $55,677 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $86,000 | Between $30,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | - |
| Best paying company | AIG | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a legal technician and an assistant paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Technician | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Political Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal technicians' and assistant paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Technician | Assistant Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |