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The differences between litigation legal assistants and legal secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a litigation legal assistant, becoming a legal secretary takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a litigation legal assistant has an average salary of $51,253, which is higher than the $41,725 average annual salary of a legal secretary.
The top three skills for a litigation legal assistant include litigation, law firm and trial preparation. The most important skills for a legal secretary are litigation, legal correspondence, and dictation.
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Legal Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $51,253 | $41,725 |
| Hourly rate | $24.64 | $20.06 |
| Growth rate | 14% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 9,152 | 13,182 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 46 | 54 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
Legal secretaries are employees in a law firm who are responsible for many administrative tasks. They handle the tasks such as filing and keeping records, ensuring that all documents are stored properly, and update contact information data and other essential office databases. They must also be knowledgeable on the law because they are, at times, assigned to draw up legal documents such as motions and subpoenas, conduct legal research, and write up other important office memoranda. Legal secretaries should be organized, trustworthy, and level-headed.
Litigation legal assistants and legal secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Legal Secretary | |
| Average salary | $51,253 | $41,725 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $28,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Earthjustice | Kane Russell Coleman Logan |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a litigation legal assistant and a legal secretary in terms of educational background:
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Legal Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Bentley University |
Here are the differences between litigation legal assistants' and legal secretaries' demographics:
| Litigation Legal Assistant | Legal Secretary | |
| Average age | 46 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% | Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8% |
| 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 15% |