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The differences between paralegals and litigation legal assistants 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 litigation legal assistant. Additionally, a litigation legal assistant has an average salary of $51,253, 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 litigation legal assistant are litigation, law firm, and trial preparation.
| Paralegal | Litigation Legal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $49,943 | $51,253 |
| Hourly rate | $24.01 | $24.64 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 5,177 | 9,152 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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 litigation legal assistant is responsible for assisting operations by organizing documents, researching court files, and scheduling appointments for client consultation. Litigation legal assistants collect case evidence, interview witnesses, and write minutes of meetings for reference. They also coordinate with other organizations to confirm information for possible trials and verify the accuracy of every data. A litigation legal assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling data management procedures under minimal supervision and strict adherence with deadlines.
Paralegals and litigation legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal | Litigation Legal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $49,943 | $51,253 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $35,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Arnall Golden Gregory | Earthjustice |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a paralegal and a litigation legal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal | Litigation Legal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between paralegals' and litigation legal assistants' demographics:
| Paralegal | Litigation Legal Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% |
| 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% |