Licensed private investigator vs certified legal investigator

The differences between licensed private investigators and certified legal investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a licensed private investigator and a certified legal investigator. Additionally, a certified legal investigator has an average salary of $49,535, which is higher than the $47,204 average annual salary of a licensed private investigator.

The top three skills for a licensed private investigator include background checks, child abuse and insurance fraud. The most important skills for a certified legal investigator are law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, and incident management.

Licensed private investigator vs certified legal investigator overview

	Licensed Private Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Yearly salary	$47,204	$49,535
Hourly rate	$22.69	$23.81
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	16,954	43,351
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Licensed private investigator vs certified legal investigator salary

Licensed private investigators and certified legal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Licensed Private Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Average salary	$47,204	$49,535
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $74,000	Between $27,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between licensed private investigator and certified legal investigator education

There are a few differences between a licensed private investigator and a certified legal investigator in terms of educational background:

	Licensed Private Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Licensed private investigator vs certified legal investigator demographics

Here are the differences between licensed private investigators' and certified legal investigators' demographics:

	Licensed Private Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 15.1% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 4.8% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between licensed private investigator and certified legal investigator duties and responsibilities

Licensed private investigator example responsibilities.

Manage and dispose of claims in litigation by preparing and developing strategy with defense counsel and consensus relative to litigation handling.
Deliver subpoenas, interview witnesses and clients, write reports, some surveillance experience.
Serve subpoenas and legal documents, supervise special events to include short and long term security operations.
Create quality control documentation associate with manufacturing process, raw materials and quality testing procedures according to corporate and FDA guidelines.
Identify and accurately report extremely time sensitive and confidential data in accordance with HIPPA guidelines.

Certified legal investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in and lead the controlled purchase of illegal narcotics and firearms to apprehend suspects.
Take and submit DNA evidence.
Create quality control documentation associate with manufacturing process, raw materials and quality testing procedures according to corporate and FDA guidelines.
Perform surveillance of suspects using binoculars, cameras and camcorders.

Licensed private investigator vs certified legal investigator skills

Common licensed private investigator skills

Background Checks, 11%
Child Abuse, 10%
Insurance Fraud, 9%
Background Investigations, 8%
Minimum Standards, 8%
Administrative Hearings, 6%

Common certified legal investigator skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 46%
Federal Agencies, 27%
Incident Management, 27%

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Licensed Private Investigator
Licensed Private Investigator vs Certified Legal Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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