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The differences between paralegal interns and paralegals 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 a paralegal. Additionally, a paralegal internship has an average salary of $52,476, which is higher than the $49,943 average annual salary of a paralegal.
The top three skills for a paralegal internship include legal research, legal correspondence and trial preparation. The most important skills for a paralegal are litigation, legal research, and law firm.
| Paralegal Internship | Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $52,476 | $49,943 |
| Hourly rate | $25.23 | $24.01 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 54,408 | 5,177 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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.
Paralegals are law firm or legal department employees who work on cases with lawyers. They handle different activities, usually administrative or clerical, such as organizing and maintaining files, updating records, and managing correspondences, among others. Paralegals also handle different activities directly related to active cases being worked on by lawyers in the firm or department. They assist lawyers on cases by preparing materials needed for trials, conducting legal research, verifying trial facts, helping during interviews, getting statements from those involved in the case, and creating presentation materials. Paralegals should have knowledge of laws and should be familiar with landmark cases.
Paralegal interns and paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal Internship | Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $52,476 | $49,943 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $85,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Arnall Golden Gregory |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a paralegal internship and a paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal Internship | Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Winona State University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between paralegal interns' and paralegals' demographics:
| Paralegal Internship | Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0% | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |