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Real estate paralegal vs senior legal assistant

The differences between real estate paralegals 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 real estate paralegal and a senior legal assistant. Additionally, a real estate paralegal has an average salary of $68,387, which is higher than the $51,102 average annual salary of a senior legal assistant.

The top three skills for a real estate paralegal include law firm, litigation and due diligence. The most important skills for a senior legal assistant are litigation, legal research, and legal correspondence.

Real estate paralegal vs senior legal assistant overview

Real Estate ParalegalSenior Legal Assistant
Yearly salary$68,387$51,102
Hourly rate$32.88$24.57
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs24,3699,152
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4646
Years of experience1212

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.

What does a senior legal assistant do?

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.

Real estate paralegal vs senior legal assistant salary

Real estate paralegals and senior legal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Real Estate ParalegalSenior Legal Assistant
Average salary$68,387$51,102
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $94,000Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaPennsylvania
Best paying companyKane Russell Coleman LoganGoogle
Best paying industryFinanceProfessional

Differences between real estate paralegal and senior legal assistant education

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

Real Estate ParalegalSenior Legal Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Real estate paralegal vs senior legal assistant demographics

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

Real Estate ParalegalSenior Legal Assistant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 13.8% Female, 86.2%Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 real estate paralegal and senior legal assistant duties and responsibilities

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

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.
  • Show more

Real estate paralegal vs senior legal assistant skills

Common real estate paralegal skills
  • Law Firm, 14%
  • Litigation, 9%
  • Due Diligence, 9%
  • Probate, 4%
  • Estoppel, 4%
  • Affidavits, 4%
Common senior legal assistant skills
  • Litigation, 15%
  • Legal Research, 7%
  • Legal Correspondence, 6%
  • Legal Support, 5%
  • Discovery Responses, 5%
  • Subpoenas, 5%