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Office manager and legal assistant vs summer associate

The differences between office managers and legal assistant and summer associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an office manager and legal assistant and a summer associate. Additionally, an office manager and legal assistant has an average salary of $56,303, which is higher than the $42,349 average annual salary of a summer associate.

The top three skills for an office manager and legal assistant include payroll, discovery responses and litigation. The most important skills for a summer associate are powerpoint, litigation, and financial models.

Office manager and legal assistant vs summer associate overview

Office Manager And Legal AssistantSummer Associate
Yearly salary$56,303$42,349
Hourly rate$27.07$20.36
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs37,8387,546
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4646
Years of experience1212

What does an office manager and legal assistant do?

An Office Manager and Legal Assistant is responsible for providing administrative assistance to legal staff in a law office. They also supervise firm hiring and payroll processes, as well as prepare budget reports for owners.

What does a summer associate do?

Summer associates are law students hired seasonally by law firms. The aim is for future lawyers to be exposed to the practical aspects of a firm. Typically, this program lasts for nine weeks, beginning in May and running through July. Summer associates are expected to be friendly and kind to people, preserve company reputation, support other associates, and perform legal tasks appropriately.

Office manager and legal assistant vs summer associate salary

Office managers and legal assistant and summer associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Office Manager And Legal AssistantSummer Associate
Average salary$56,303$42,349
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $76,000Between $22,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Crowell & Moring
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between office manager and legal assistant and summer associate education

There are a few differences between an office manager and legal assistant and a summer associate in terms of educational background:

Office Manager And Legal AssistantSummer Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Office manager and legal assistant vs summer associate demographics

Here are the differences between office managers and legal assistant' and summer associates' demographics:

Office Manager And Legal AssistantSummer Associate
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 11.1% Female, 88.9%Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between office manager and legal assistant and summer associate duties and responsibilities

Office manager and legal assistant example responsibilities.

  • Gather and prepare documents for binders/notebooks for depositions, arbitration, hearings/trial; manage incoming document production mostly for litigation purposes.
  • Prepare all pleadings for family law cases, as well as document preparation for bankruptcy and probate cases.
  • Practice include plaintiff's personal injury, family law, criminal, real estate transactions, probate, corporate, collections.
  • Draft legal documents including correspondence, pleadings, interrogatories, subpoenas and affidavits.
  • Answer complaints, interrogatories and communicate with opposing counsel and insurance companies.
  • Gather and collect financial information through subpoenas providing summary of assets and liabilities.
  • Show more

Summer associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage client expenses and prepare billing and financial statements using PClaw and reconcile attorney's escrow and general accounts using QuickBooks.
  • Gather and analyze statutes, decisions, legal articles and codes using Lexis Nexis research software.
  • Perform citation checks and proofread supervisor's work before publishing.
  • Proofread, edit, and research various issues relate to a forthcoming law review article submission focusing on animal law
  • Perform firm strategy research and create PowerPoint presentations for management and executive teams.
  • Prepare PowerPoint presentations on regulatory and policy matters affecting the health care industry.
  • Show more

Office manager and legal assistant vs summer associate skills

Common office manager and legal assistant skills
  • Payroll, 9%
  • Discovery Responses, 7%
  • Litigation, 6%
  • Legal Research, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 5%
  • Real Estate Closings, 4%
Common summer associate skills
  • PowerPoint, 16%
  • Litigation, 13%
  • Financial Models, 12%
  • Due Diligence, 6%
  • Legal Memos, 5%
  • Private Equity, 4%