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The differences between paralegal interns and law clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a law clerk has an average salary of $55,916, 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 a law clerk are litigation, legal issues, and legal memos.
| Paralegal Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $52,476 | $55,916 |
| Hourly rate | $25.23 | $26.88 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 54,408 | 75,014 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 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.
Law clerks are employees in a legal firm who handle clerical tasks for the office. They handle the office's official phone lines, answering incoming calls, and making outgoing calls. They also field office correspondence, often receiving incoming mail and distributing them to their addressees. They manage office documents and ensure that they are correctly filed and labeled in their respective storage bins. Law clerks help make office life more comfortable because they make sure that the office is running well. They also manage appointments and office calendars.
Paralegal interns and law clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Average salary | $52,476 | $55,916 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $85,000 | Between $27,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Hughes Hubbard & Reed |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a paralegal internship and a law clerk in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Law |
| Most common college | Winona State University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between paralegal interns' and law clerks' demographics:
| Paralegal Internship | Law Clerk | |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0% | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 8.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.3% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 13% |