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The differences between paralegal specialists 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 specialist and a senior legal assistant. Additionally, a paralegal specialist has an average salary of $61,244, which is higher than the $51,102 average annual salary of a senior legal assistant.
The top three skills for a paralegal specialist include legal research, litigation and government agencies. The most important skills for a senior legal assistant are litigation, legal research, and legal correspondence.
| Paralegal Specialist | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $61,244 | $51,102 |
| Hourly rate | $29.44 | $24.57 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 4,185 | 9,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Paralegal Specialist provides assistance to lawyers and does many of the same jobs that lawyers do. They work in various areas, such as family, environmental, or real estate law.
Senior legal assistants are responsible for managing junior-level assistants. They also support lawyers with various legal tasks such as conducting legal research, drafting documents, and hearing trials. These assistants must work with attorneys and clients to review various legal documents to ensure their accuracy and completeness. They gather documents for attorneys and prepare witnesses scheduled for court hearings. Senior legal assistants must also arrange the delivery of subpoenas while preparing the required affidavit of service.
Paralegal specialists and senior legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal Specialist | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $61,244 | $51,102 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $106,000 | Between $36,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | DLA Piper | |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a paralegal specialist and a senior legal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal Specialist | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between paralegal specialists' and senior legal assistants' demographics:
| Paralegal Specialist | Senior Legal Assistant | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.9% 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% |