Process server vs paralegal

The differences between process servers and paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a process server has an average salary of $62,039, which is higher than the $49,943 average annual salary of a paralegal.

The top three skills for a process server include subpoenas, affidavits and summonses. The most important skills for a paralegal are litigation, legal research, and law firm.

Process server vs paralegal overview

	Process Server	Paralegal
Yearly salary	$62,039	$49,943
Hourly rate	$29.83	$24.01
Growth rate	-	14%
Number of jobs	76,241	5,177
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	49	46
Years of experience	-	12

Process server vs paralegal salary

Process servers and paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Server	Paralegal
Average salary	$62,039	$49,943
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $123,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Foster City, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	IBM	Arnall Golden Gregory
Best paying industry	Retail	Professional

Differences between process server and paralegal education

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

	Process Server	Paralegal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Legal Support Services
Most common college	-	Harvard University

Process server vs paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between process servers' and paralegals' demographics:

	Process Server	Paralegal
Average age	49	46
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 4.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between process server and paralegal duties and responsibilities

Process server example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the shipping dock, including TDR, truck arrival/departure scheduling, and associate dock assignments.
Serve subpoena's, summonses, notices and evictions, in active court cases within the administrative laws of Florida.
Process serving, initiating and completing cases involving child support, evictions, civil, family law, and small claims.
Demonstrate the migration tooling and WPS capabilities to migrate the existing ICS collaborations.
File in probate for unlawful detainer cases, family cases, and criminal cases.
Used GPS and MapQuest to figure locations where the different paper work are delivered.

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.

Process server vs paralegal skills

Common process server skills

Subpoenas, 31%
Affidavits, 15%
Summonses, 6%
Court Orders, 6%
Legal Papers, 5%
Legal Process, 3%

Common paralegal skills

Litigation, 15%
Legal Research, 12%
Law Firm, 9%
Discovery Responses, 9%
Subpoenas, 5%
Trial Preparation, 5%