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The differences between paralegals and corporate 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 corporate paralegal. Additionally, a corporate paralegal has an average salary of $67,515, 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 corporate paralegal are litigation, corporate governance, and legal research.
| Paralegal | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $49,943 | $67,515 |
| Hourly rate | $24.01 | $32.46 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 5,177 | 13,482 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A Corporate Paralegal helps attorneys gather information and materials in preparation for different kinds of cases, hearings, or meetings. They also work in the legal departments of large corporations and for government agencies.
Paralegals and corporate paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $49,943 | $67,515 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $42,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Arnall Golden Gregory | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a paralegal and a corporate paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between paralegals' and corporate paralegals' demographics:
| Paralegal | Corporate Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% |
| 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, 19.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |