Download the 2023 Compensation Report for the Latest Average In-House Counsel Salary Data

BarkerGilmore’s annual 2023 In-House Counsel Compensation Report provides in-house counsel the ability to compare pay with peers, and aids legal leaders and human resources departments in attracting and retaining top talent by explaining competitive compensation packages.

The anonymous data was collected from a random sample of approximately 3,800 in-house counsel throughout the United States via an online survey administered in March 2023.

In-house counsel salary data for 2022

Across our survey of thousands of in-house counsels, General Counsel salary ranged from $375,000 to $1,103,000, while Managing and Senior Counsel ranged from $158,000 to $442,000. In the compensation report, get a breakdown of average salaries by factors such as:

  • Job type – General counsel, Managing counsel, Senior counsel
  • Company type – Public, Private, Portfolio Company
  • Urban area – Major metro, Mid-sized metro, and Rural areas
  • Practice area
  • Gender Law School Rank
  • And more

Corporate counsel salary trends in 2022 and into 2023 — retaining talent in a cooling market

As the world reopened in 2021, the legal industry witnessed unprecedented growth in hiring and compensation. In 2022, the demand for exceptional talent did not stop. Nearly a quarter of the in-house workforce participating in our compensation survey changed organizations over the last two years. The competition to retain top talent alongside a strong economy led total compensation to rise 21% in 2021. This sizable increase was predominantly due to annual short and long-term incentive bonuses paying out well above target. Lofty EBITDA and equity targets for 2022, which were out of reach, put an end to this trend causing year-over-year total compensation to be down slightly (-3%).

chart showing the likelihood of a compensation motivated job search

Get in-house counsel salary data by specific industry or role.

We gather salary data from thousands of legal counsels, segmented by industries spanning Private Equity, Compliance, General Counsel, and Healthcare. This complimentary compensation data will give you an edge in salary negotiations, or help recruit top talent for your organization.

BarkerGilmore 2023 Healthcare and Life Sciences In-House and Compliance Compensation Report

Get the Healthcare Report

Private Equity and Portfolio Company In-House Counsel Compensation Report

Get the Private Equity Report

BarkerGilmore's 2023 Compliance Compensation Report

Get the Compliance Report

2023 in-house counsel salary report

Get the In-House Counsel Report

general counsel salary report cover

Get the General Counsel Report

Stay Competitive: In-House Counsel Salary Trends

1. Total In-House Compensation Trends:

The median total compensation was down 3% from 2021 for all industries, across all positions. Base compensation was flat and LTI (long-term incentives) was up 10%, but bonuses realized a 23% loss from 2021. The energy industry realized the only total compensation increase at 3%. Total compensation for the consumer industry was down 7%.

2. More People Took New Positions:

Eleven percent of respondents obtained a new position in 2022, a decrease of 1% from the previous year. Forty percent of new legal positions received sign-on bonuses. Managing Counsel were the most likely to receive a sign-on bonus at 41%, overtaking Senior Counsel from last year. General Counsel were, again, the least likely to receive a sign-on bonus (36%); however, the General Counsel median sign-on bonus was significantly higher than that of Managing Counsel and Senior Counsel.

3. Attending a Top Law School Meant Higher Pay:

The largest group of in-house lawyers went to top law schools and worked for an Am Law 100 ranked law firm. On average, in-house lawyers who went to Top 50 law schools make 30% more than law schools ranked 100+. In-house lawyers with law firm experience who went to top law schools make 76% more in total compensation than lawyers who didn’t go to a top school or work at a firm.

4. Legal Compensation at Public vs. Private Companies:

Consistent with the last six years, 2022 revealed that public companies continued to surpass private and portfolio total compensation at all in-house position levels. As we would expect, General Counsel at portfolio companies have significant long-term incentive compensation relative to their peers at private and public companies. 

5. Industry Highs & Lows:

This year saw interesting changes and new industry leaders. Download BarkerGilmore’s 2023 In-House Counsel Compensation Report to see the industries that pay the most and the least.

Download the Full In-House Counsel Compensation Report

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