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The differences between paralegals and legal clerks 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 legal clerk. Additionally, a paralegal has an average salary of $49,943, which is higher than the $35,152 average annual salary of a legal clerk.
The top three skills for a paralegal include litigation, legal research and law firm. The most important skills for a legal clerk are litigation, legal correspondence, and subpoenas.
| Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $49,943 | $35,152 |
| Hourly rate | $24.01 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 5,177 | 74,069 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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 legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.
Paralegals and legal clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Average salary | $49,943 | $35,152 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Arnall Golden Gregory | Diodes Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a paralegal and a legal clerk in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Law |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between paralegals' and legal clerks' demographics:
| Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |