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The differences between paralegal interns and executive legal assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a paralegal internship and an executive legal assistant. Additionally, an executive legal assistant has an average salary of $53,442, which is higher than the $52,476 average annual salary of a paralegal internship.
The top three skills for a paralegal internship include legal research, legal correspondence and trial preparation. The most important skills for an executive legal assistant are powerpoint, expense reports, and litigation.
| Paralegal Internship | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,476 | $53,442 |
| Hourly rate | $25.23 | $25.69 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 54,408 | 72,148 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A paralegal intern is responsible for assisting the paralegal department of an organization, familiarizing with law standards and legal procedures, and applying law school knowledge on practical applications. Paralegal interns perform various administrative and clerical tasks under the supervision of tenured paralegal staff. They also assist with collecting and processing legal documents, observe court functions and procedures, respond to clients' inquiries and service requests, schedule appointments, research on court appeal cases, verify the accuracy of submitted documents, and coordinate with other law enforcement institutions.
An Executive Legal Assistant provides comprehensive support to lawyers and legal offices. They start as entry-level assistants before specializing in a field after a few years with experience; litigation, criminal law, family law, international law. Their duties include performing legal research by gathering case information for presentation, writing legal reports based on research and interviews, scheduling meetings, organizing travel arrangements, and organizing documentation for easy accessibility. An Executive Legal Assistant must be well organized, analytical research skills, and experience in case management. They typically spend long work hours spent in libraries and offices, requiring occasional travel.
Paralegal interns and executive legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal Internship | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $52,476 | $53,442 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $85,000 | Between $37,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a paralegal internship and an executive legal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal Internship | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | Winona State University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between paralegal interns' and executive legal assistants' demographics:
| Paralegal Internship | Executive Legal Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0% | Male, 8.7% Female, 91.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 5.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |