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The differences between legal transcriptionists and executive legal assistants 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 transcriptionist and an executive legal assistant. Additionally, an executive legal assistant has an average salary of $53,442, which is higher than the $48,622 average annual salary of a legal transcriptionist.
The top three skills for a legal transcriptionist include transcription, legal terminology and dictation. The most important skills for an executive legal assistant are powerpoint, expense reports, and litigation.
| Legal Transcriptionist | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $48,622 | $53,442 |
| Hourly rate | $23.38 | $25.69 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 6,047 | 72,148 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A legal transcriptionist produces written transcriptions of audio recordings from various legal conversions such as consultations, interviews, and court proceedings. It is their responsibility to deliver accurate transcriptions, from dialogues to gestures and diction. To carry out their duties, they must maintain an active communication line with the employer, keep an eye out for errors and inconsistencies, and organize files accordingly. Moreover, a legal transcriptionist may directly work at government offices and legal firms. They can also work as independent contractors, typically working from home.
An Executive Legal Assistant provides comprehensive support to lawyers and legal offices. They start as entry-level assistants before specializing in a field after a few years with experience; litigation, criminal law, family law, international law. Their duties include performing legal research by gathering case information for presentation, writing legal reports based on research and interviews, scheduling meetings, organizing travel arrangements, and organizing documentation for easy accessibility. An Executive Legal Assistant must be well organized, analytical research skills, and experience in case management. They typically spend long work hours spent in libraries and offices, requiring occasional travel.
Legal transcriptionists and executive legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Transcriptionist | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $48,622 | $53,442 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $37,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a legal transcriptionist and an executive legal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Legal Transcriptionist | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between legal transcriptionists' and executive legal assistants' demographics:
| Legal Transcriptionist | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.5% Female, 93.5% | Male, 8.7% Female, 91.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.0% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |