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The differences between legal technicians and summer associates 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 summer associate. Additionally, a legal technician has an average salary of $62,283, which is higher than the $42,349 average annual salary of a summer associate.
The top three skills for a legal technician include litigation, sharepoint and legal research. The most important skills for a summer associate are powerpoint, litigation, and financial models.
| Legal Technician | Summer Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $62,283 | $42,349 |
| Hourly rate | $29.94 | $20.36 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 29,700 | 7,546 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
Summer associates are law students hired seasonally by law firms. The aim is for future lawyers to be exposed to the practical aspects of a firm. Typically, this program lasts for nine weeks, beginning in May and running through July. Summer associates are expected to be friendly and kind to people, preserve company reputation, support other associates, and perform legal tasks appropriately.
Legal technicians and summer associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Technician | Summer Associate | |
| Average salary | $62,283 | $42,349 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $86,000 | Between $22,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | AIG | Crowell & Moring |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a legal technician and a summer associate in terms of educational background:
| Legal Technician | Summer Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal technicians' and summer associates' demographics:
| Legal Technician | Summer Associate | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5% | Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |