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Solicitor vs paralegal

The differences between solicitors and paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a solicitor has an average salary of $75,278, which is higher than the $49,943 average annual salary of a paralegal.

The top three skills for a solicitor include litigation, foreclosure and alumni. The most important skills for a paralegal are litigation, legal research, and law firm.

Solicitor vs paralegal overview

SolicitorParalegal
Yearly salary$75,278$49,943
Hourly rate$36.19$24.01
Growth rate-8%14%
Number of jobs2225,177
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age3746
Years of experience-12

Solicitor vs paralegal salary

Solicitors and paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

SolicitorParalegal
Average salary$75,278$49,943
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $120,000Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Arnall Golden Gregory
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between solicitor and paralegal education

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

SolicitorParalegal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorLawLegal Support Services
Most common college-Harvard University

Solicitor vs paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between solicitors' and paralegals' demographics:

SolicitorParalegal
Average age3746
Gender ratioMale, 46.7% Female, 53.3%Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 17.8% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.9% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%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 Percentage11%9%

Differences between solicitor and paralegal duties and responsibilities

Solicitor example responsibilities.

  • Manage all casework including indictments, discovery, subpoenas, and jury selection.
  • Negotiate successful payment plans for assign customers in multiple stages of foreclosure, litigation and/or charge-off.
  • File required SR-22 and SR1A forms with the DMV.
  • Process applications, payments, corrections, endorsements and cancellations.
  • Process loans for different investors by using extensive experience in processing VA, FHA, conventional and Fannie Mae loans.
  • Solicit sales for various newspapers via auto-dial telephone contact
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Solicitor vs paralegal skills

Common solicitor skills
  • Litigation, 14%
  • Foreclosure, 8%
  • Alumni, 7%
  • Inbound Calls, 7%
  • Outbound Calls, 7%
  • Legal Research, 6%
Common paralegal skills
  • Litigation, 15%
  • Legal Research, 12%
  • Law Firm, 9%
  • Discovery Responses, 9%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
  • Trial Preparation, 5%