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Legal transcriptionist vs law clerk

The differences between legal transcriptionists and law clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a law clerk has an average salary of $55,916, 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 a law clerk are litigation, legal issues, and legal memos.

Legal transcriptionist vs law clerk overview

Legal TranscriptionistLaw Clerk
Yearly salary$48,622$55,916
Hourly rate$23.38$26.88
Growth rate14%10%
Number of jobs6,04775,014
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4641
Years of experience12-

What does a legal transcriptionist do?

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.

What does a law clerk do?

Law clerks are employees in a legal firm who handle clerical tasks for the office. They handle the office's official phone lines, answering incoming calls, and making outgoing calls. They also field office correspondence, often receiving incoming mail and distributing them to their addressees. They manage office documents and ensure that they are correctly filed and labeled in their respective storage bins. Law clerks help make office life more comfortable because they make sure that the office is running well. They also manage appointments and office calendars.

Legal transcriptionist vs law clerk salary

Legal transcriptionists and law clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Legal TranscriptionistLaw Clerk
Average salary$48,622$55,916
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $65,000Between $27,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Hughes Hubbard & Reed
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between legal transcriptionist and law clerk education

There are a few differences between a legal transcriptionist and a law clerk in terms of educational background:

Legal TranscriptionistLaw Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Legal transcriptionist vs law clerk demographics

Here are the differences between legal transcriptionists' and law clerks' demographics:

Legal TranscriptionistLaw Clerk
Average age4641
Gender ratioMale, 6.5% Female, 93.5%Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.4% Unknown, 8.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.3% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%13%

Differences between legal transcriptionist and law clerk duties and responsibilities

Legal transcriptionist example responsibilities.

  • Gather and prepare documents for binders/notebooks for depositions, arbitration, hearings/trial; manage incoming document production mostly for litigation purposes.
  • Own and operate successful transcription business, transcribing and producing medical reports for workers' compensation doctors.
  • Train incoming co-op to use SQL for cleaning and processing incoming data files.
  • Work from home transcribing court proceedings, hearings, examinations under oath, etc.
  • Prepare legal and court transcripts by deciphering and transcribing deposition audio from multiple formats.
  • Order subpoenas for records using ABI s website, log them in as received.
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Law clerk example responsibilities.

  • Hire specifically to perform legal research and write memorandums on probate cases, particularly those involving litigation.
  • Conduct legal research, draft various legal documents, including complaints, social security/disability appeals, settlement demand letters and subpoenas.
  • Research and draft affirmations in support, arbitration contentions, discovery responses, and attorney correspondence for insurance fraud litigation firm.
  • Value securities by performing company valuations utilizing DCF and multiples methods.
  • Develop valuation ranges using precedent transaction, comparable company, and DCF analyses
  • Utilize LexisNexis and WestlawNext search databases to conduct legal research and data analysis.
  • Show more

Legal transcriptionist vs law clerk skills

Common legal transcriptionist skills
  • Transcription, 27%
  • Legal Terminology, 15%
  • Dictation, 15%
  • WPM, 14%
  • Headphones, 13%
  • Interrogatories, 5%
Common law clerk skills
  • Litigation, 16%
  • Legal Issues, 7%
  • Legal Memos, 7%
  • Pre-Trial Motions, 6%
  • Interrogatories, 4%
  • Summary Judgment, 3%