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The differences between litigation paralegals and litigation support specialists 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 paralegal, becoming a litigation support specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a litigation support specialist has an average salary of $64,690, which is higher than the $58,484 average annual salary of a litigation paralegal.
The top three skills for a litigation paralegal include litigation, law firm and trial preparation. The most important skills for a litigation support specialist are litigation, defense counsel, and electronic discovery.
| Litigation Paralegal | Litigation Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $58,484 | $64,690 |
| Hourly rate | $28.12 | $31.10 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 5,132 | 110,360 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A litigation paralegal is a specialist who is responsible for assisting attorneys throughout the trial process. On the plaintiff side, litigation paralegals conduct initial client interviews and legal research for case preparations. They assist with the preliminary examinations of witnesses and jury selection in the courtroom. Litigation paralegals often assist attorneys with case settlements and help identify issues for appeals. They must also possess excellent skills in verbal and written communication and should have great attention in detail.
A litigation support professional serves as an apprentice of an attorney in dealing with complicated legal issues. They are responsible for creating and maintaining data systems, retrieving records, and assisting in legal cases or lawsuits. Also, they are the one who organizes and analyzes documents from a database and does the case review. A support professional also supports the company and law firm in any way possible. This is why this career plays an important role in reducing the workload of an attorney, especially with complex lawsuits.
Litigation paralegals and litigation support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Litigation Paralegal | Litigation Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $58,484 | $64,690 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $83,000 | Between $42,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a litigation paralegal and a litigation support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Litigation Paralegal | Litigation Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between litigation paralegals' and litigation support specialists' demographics:
| Litigation Paralegal | Litigation Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% | Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |