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The differences between legal technicians and litigation 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 a litigation paralegal. Additionally, a legal technician has an average salary of $62,283, which is higher than the $58,484 average annual salary of a litigation paralegal.
The top three skills for a legal technician include litigation, sharepoint and legal research. The most important skills for a litigation paralegal are litigation, law firm, and trial preparation.
| Legal Technician | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $62,283 | $58,484 |
| Hourly rate | $29.94 | $28.12 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 29,700 | 5,132 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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.
A litigation paralegal is a specialist who is responsible for assisting attorneys throughout the trial process. On the plaintiff side, litigation paralegals conduct initial client interviews and legal research for case preparations. They assist with the preliminary examinations of witnesses and jury selection in the courtroom. Litigation paralegals often assist attorneys with case settlements and help identify issues for appeals. They must also possess excellent skills in verbal and written communication and should have great attention in detail.
Legal technicians and litigation paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Technician | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $62,283 | $58,484 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $86,000 | Between $40,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | California |
| Best paying company | AIG | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal technician and a litigation paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Legal Technician | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between legal technicians' and litigation paralegals' demographics:
| Legal Technician | Litigation Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |