Compare careers
Factual side-by-side attributes from the imported O*NET and BLS OEWS datasets. No career is ranked or recommended.
Career A (or your current career)
Lawyers
Career B (or your target career)
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
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Comparison table
| Metric | Lawyers | Paralegals and Legal Assistants |
|---|---|---|
| National median salary | $159,670 | $62,890 |
| Local median salary | Not published | Not published |
| National employment | 754,500 | 392,880 |
| Typical education | Doctoral Degree | Bachelor's Degree |
| Job zone | 5 | 3 |
| Important skills | Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing | Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking |
| Related careers | Detectives and Criminal Investigators, Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents, Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs, Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | File Clerks, Social Science Research Assistants, Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators, Accountants and Auditors |
Career transition: skill overlap
Skill overlap
100%
12 of 12 target skills
Target-only skills
0
Current-only skills
7
Skill overlap compares O*NET skills rated at importance 3.0 or above for each occupation. It is a measure of listed skill overlap, not a probability of getting the job.
Shared skills
- Writing—
- Reading Comprehension—
- Active Listening—
- Speaking—
- Critical Thinking—
- Time Management—
- Judgment and Decision Making—
- Active Learning—
- Monitoring—
- Social Perceptiveness—
- Service Orientation—
- Complex Problem Solving—
Only in Paralegals and Legal Assistants
- None
Only in Lawyers
- Persuasion
- Negotiation
- Coordination
- Systems Analysis
- Instructing
- Learning Strategies
- Systems Evaluation