Paralegal vs contractor-paralegal

The differences between paralegals and contractor-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 and a contractor-paralegal. Additionally, a contractor-paralegal has an average salary of $60,686, which is higher than the $49,943 average annual salary of a paralegal.

The top three skills for a paralegal include litigation, legal research and law firm. The most important skills for a contractor-paralegal are litigation, legal research, and discovery responses.

Paralegal vs contractor-paralegal overview

	Paralegal	Contractor-Paralegal
Yearly salary	$49,943	$60,686
Hourly rate	$24.01	$29.18
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	5,177	15,609
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does a paralegal do?

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.

What does a contractor-paralegal do?

A Contractor-Paralegal works for a law firm or corporate legal department for a specified amount of time, or for a specified task. They can be specialized in the entertainment industry or in providing services to healthcare companies and insurance providers.

Paralegal vs contractor-paralegal salary

Paralegals and contractor-paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Paralegal	Contractor-Paralegal
Average salary	$49,943	$60,686
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $70,000	Between $37,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Camarillo, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Arnall Golden Gregory	SeaSpine
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between paralegal and contractor-paralegal education

There are a few differences between a paralegal and a contractor-paralegal in terms of educational background:

	Paralegal	Contractor-Paralegal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Legal Support Services	Legal Support Services
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Paralegal vs contractor-paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between paralegals' and contractor-paralegals' demographics:

	Paralegal	Contractor-Paralegal
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6%	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between paralegal and contractor-paralegal duties and responsibilities

Paralegal example responsibilities.

Manage client expenses and prepare billing and financial statements using PClaw and reconcile attorney's escrow and general accounts using QuickBooks.
Manage discovery process of lawsuits by preparing pleadings and subpoenas for records and answering requests for production and interrogatories.
Manage large volume of documents, enabling attorneys to easily identify key documents that are critical for mediation and arbitration.
Prepare H-1B petition with supporting evidence and supplementary forms for attorney review and filing with USCIS.
Conduct legal research on Lexis and factual inquiries regarding pending litigation.
Review Lexis Nexis for any and all relevant documents regarding hormone replacement litigation.

Contractor-paralegal example responsibilities.

Manage client expenses and prepare billing and financial statements using PClaw and reconcile attorney's escrow and general accounts using QuickBooks.
Assist staff counsels in all aspects of litigation management including factual investigation, document preparation, trial preparation and support.
Research using Lexis Nexis and online resources.
Summarize medical records, check blue-book cites, retrieve statutory and case law on LEXIS ,
Complete contract work for local attorneys in the areas of civil, family law, personal injury, and probate matters.
Prepare, compile and distribute various PowerPoint presentations.

Paralegal vs contractor-paralegal skills

Common paralegal skills

Litigation, 15%
Legal Research, 12%
Law Firm, 9%
Discovery Responses, 9%
Subpoenas, 5%
Trial Preparation, 5%

Common contractor-paralegal skills

Litigation, 12%
Legal Research, 9%
Discovery Responses, 7%
PowerPoint, 7%
In-House Counsel, 5%
Contract Database, 5%

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Paralegal
Paralegal vs Contractor-Paralegal

Updated January 8, 2025

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