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The differences between litigation legal assistants and immigration 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 litigation legal assistant and an immigration paralegal. Additionally, an immigration paralegal has an average salary of $67,056, which is higher than the $51,253 average annual salary of a litigation legal assistant.
The top three skills for a litigation legal assistant include litigation, law firm and trial preparation. The most important skills for an immigration paralegal are management system, government agencies, and USCIS.
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $51,253 | $67,056 |
| Hourly rate | $24.64 | $32.24 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 9,152 | 4,279 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A litigation legal assistant is responsible for assisting operations by organizing documents, researching court files, and scheduling appointments for client consultation. Litigation legal assistants collect case evidence, interview witnesses, and write minutes of meetings for reference. They also coordinate with other organizations to confirm information for possible trials and verify the accuracy of every data. A litigation legal assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling data management procedures under minimal supervision and strict adherence with deadlines.
Working alongside immigration lawyers, an immigration paralegal is in charge of liaising and assisting clients through the progress of their visa petitions or other cases. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering and securing foreign documents, coordinating with immigration managers, managing and filing documentation, preparing applications, and handling case systems and other databases. Furthermore, as an immigration paralegal, it is essential to update clients with the progress of their cases, answering their inquiries and helping them navigate through the procedures as needed.
Litigation legal assistants and immigration paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $51,253 | $67,056 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Earthjustice | American Express |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a litigation legal assistant and an immigration paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between litigation legal assistants' and immigration paralegals' demographics:
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |