Dive Brief:

• Nearly nine in 10 in-house counsel (86%) receive a bonus and the most common range reflects 20-29% of base pay, according to a survey report. 
• The median total compensation for all in-house counsel survey respondents was $284,000, though the most common pay range was $200,000 to $249,000.
• In-house attorneys working in large urban markets generally report earning more than those in smaller cities. Additionally, the highest salaries are concentrated on the West Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the 2023 In-House Compensation Report from Above the Law.

Dive Insight:

Some general counsel report receiving bonuses that represent a much higher percentage of their base pay than the average in-house lawyer. 

For example, 17% of GCs said they received bonuses representing at least 60% of their base pay.

The report presented in partnership with Paragon Legal also found that counsel at Fortune 1000 companies were more likely than their peers to receive bonuses of 60% or more.

For counsel, the most common bonus range was 10-14% of their base pay. 

“While bonuses tend to be lower in the tech sector than in other industries such as finance and real estate, attorneys who work at technology companies are more likely to receive stock as part of their compensation package,” the report said. 

As for total compensation, 34% of respondents reported that their pay is between $200,000 and $299,000. Along those lines, 19% reported their total pay is in the $200,000 to $249,000 range.

The report also found that only a small percentage of respondents make total compensation at the lowest and highest ends of the pay scale.

For example, only 3% of in-house counsel reported total pay of $1 million or more and only 1% reported total pay of less than $100,000.

The median total compensation reported for chief legal officers and general counsel was $325,000. 

Deputy general counsel and associate general counsel were very close behind, as they reported median total compensation of $324,500.

“While there is a clear progression from counsel to senior counsel to deputy general counsel, median compensation differs little between the deputy GC and general counsel levels,” the report said. “One factor may be that the majority of respondents who identified as general counsel or chief legal officers are either the only attorneys in their department or one of just a few, and the data suggests that pay is generally lower in smaller law departments.”

The Above the Law report draws on responses from more than 1,900 lawyers.