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Paralegal secretary vs secretary

The differences between paralegal secretaries and secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a paralegal secretary, becoming a secretary takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a paralegal secretary has an average salary of $50,901, which is higher than the $36,442 average annual salary of a secretary.

The top three skills for a paralegal secretary include legal correspondence, legal pleadings and litigation. The most important skills for a secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.

Paralegal secretary vs secretary overview

Paralegal SecretarySecretary
Yearly salary$50,901$36,442
Hourly rate$24.47$17.52
Growth rate14%-8%
Number of jobs10,94869,315
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age4650
Years of experience122

Paralegal secretary vs secretary salary

Paralegal secretaries and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

Paralegal SecretarySecretary
Average salary$50,901$36,442
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $73,000Between $26,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between paralegal secretary and secretary education

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

Paralegal SecretarySecretary
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeTexas Wesleyan UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Paralegal secretary vs secretary demographics

Here are the differences between paralegal secretaries' and secretaries' demographics:

Paralegal SecretarySecretary
Average age4650
Gender ratioMale, 6.0% Female, 94.0%Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%6%

Differences between paralegal secretary and secretary duties and responsibilities

Paralegal secretary example responsibilities.

  • Perform administrative tasks for managing partner and trial attorney at a medical malpractice litigation firm including daily transcription and stenography.
  • Draft interrogatories and production of documents, and responding to request of the same in family law proceedings.
  • Draft legal documents including but not limit to estate planning, probate, quitclaim, personal representatives, and warranty deeds.
  • Draft legal documents including correspondence, pleadings, interrogatories.
  • Direct and coordinate delivery of subpoenas for medical records and witnesses.
  • Handle multiple case management responsibilities through entire litigation cycle for busy practice groups.
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Secretary example responsibilities.

  • Manage and oversee all STO relate actions task to OSD impacting future and current operations in STO.
  • Manage financial bookkeeping efficiently for the company using QuickBooks.
  • Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
  • Present information orally, using Microsoft PowerPoint to military officials on various office and personnel administrative functions.
  • Track progress monitoring for corrective reading and corrective math.
  • Copy and distribute medical records according to guidelines set by HIPPA
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Paralegal secretary vs secretary skills

Common paralegal secretary skills
  • Legal Correspondence, 12%
  • Legal Pleadings, 9%
  • Litigation, 9%
  • Real Estate, 8%
  • Discovery Responses, 7%
  • Legal Research, 5%
Common secretary skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Telephone Calls, 11%
  • Payroll, 9%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 9%
  • Word Processing, 5%
  • Office Equipment, 5%