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Paralegal vs real estate paralegal

The differences between paralegals and real estate 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 real estate paralegal. Additionally, a real estate paralegal has an average salary of $68,387, 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 real estate paralegal are law firm, litigation, and due diligence.

Paralegal vs real estate paralegal overview

ParalegalReal Estate Paralegal
Yearly salary$49,943$68,387
Hourly rate$24.01$32.88
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs5,17724,369
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4646
Years of experience1212

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 real estate paralegal do?

A Real Estate Paralegal helps real estate lawyers with a variety of tasks, such as offering advice to clients, doing research, and preparing documents. They collaborate with landlords, housing managers, or other real estate personnel.

Paralegal vs real estate paralegal salary

Paralegals and real estate paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

ParalegalReal Estate Paralegal
Average salary$49,943$68,387
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $70,000Between $49,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyArnall Golden GregoryKane Russell Coleman Logan
Best paying industryProfessionalFinance

Differences between paralegal and real estate paralegal education

There are a few differences between a paralegal and a real estate paralegal in terms of educational background:

ParalegalReal Estate Paralegal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesLegal Support Services
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Paralegal vs real estate paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between paralegals' and real estate paralegals' demographics:

ParalegalReal Estate Paralegal
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 22.4% Female, 77.6%Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.0% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between paralegal and real estate 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.
  • Show more

Real estate paralegal example responsibilities.

  • Manage BPO and MMR reports on properties.
  • Manage a social marketing image for the agency (Facebook).
  • Manage national referrals for quiet title actions, injunctions, wrongful foreclosures, and appeals.
  • Achieve sole responsibility for administration of all estates and guardianships.
  • Communicate directly with lenders in various states, completing affidavits and ensuring that they are properly record and organize.
  • Prepare forms for the MLS submission.
  • Show more

Paralegal vs real estate paralegal skills

Common paralegal skills
  • Litigation, 15%
  • Legal Research, 12%
  • Law Firm, 9%
  • Discovery Responses, 9%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
  • Trial Preparation, 5%
Common real estate paralegal skills
  • Law Firm, 14%
  • Litigation, 9%
  • Due Diligence, 9%
  • Probate, 4%
  • Estoppel, 4%
  • Affidavits, 4%