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Paralegal secretary vs senior legal assistant

The differences between paralegal secretaries and senior 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 secretary and a senior legal assistant. Additionally, a senior legal assistant has an average salary of $51,102, which is higher than the $50,901 average annual salary of a paralegal secretary.

The top three skills for a paralegal secretary include legal correspondence, legal pleadings and litigation. The most important skills for a senior legal assistant are litigation, legal research, and legal correspondence.

Paralegal secretary vs senior legal assistant overview

Paralegal SecretarySenior Legal Assistant
Yearly salary$50,901$51,102
Hourly rate$24.47$24.57
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs10,9489,152
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4646
Years of experience1212

Paralegal secretary vs senior legal assistant salary

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

Paralegal SecretarySenior Legal Assistant
Average salary$50,901$51,102
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $73,000Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Pennsylvania
Best paying company-Google
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between paralegal secretary and senior legal assistant education

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

Paralegal SecretarySenior Legal Assistant
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeTexas Wesleyan UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Paralegal secretary vs senior legal assistant demographics

Here are the differences between paralegal secretaries' and senior legal assistants' demographics:

Paralegal SecretarySenior Legal Assistant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 6.0% Female, 94.0%Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9%
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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between paralegal secretary and senior legal assistant 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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Senior legal assistant example responsibilities.

  • Perform administrative tasks for managing partner and trial attorney at a medical malpractice litigation firm including daily transcription and stenography.
  • Handle collections, probate, estate planning, real estate and corporate work.
  • Interview witnesses, prepare declarations, and draft responses to interrogatories and requests for production.
  • Prepare lawsuits from complaint through judgment and garnishment for foreclosures, probate, and loss mitigation.
  • Develop numerous PowerPoint presentations for conferences and teachings.
  • Develop PowerPoint presentations, reports and legal documents.
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Paralegal secretary vs senior legal assistant skills

Common paralegal secretary skills
  • Legal Correspondence, 12%
  • Legal Pleadings, 9%
  • Litigation, 9%
  • Real Estate, 8%
  • Discovery Responses, 7%
  • Legal Research, 5%
Common senior legal assistant skills
  • Litigation, 15%
  • Legal Research, 7%
  • Legal Correspondence, 6%
  • Legal Support, 5%
  • Discovery Responses, 5%
  • Subpoenas, 5%