General counsel & in-house legal salary benchmarking

How much does a general counsel make?

Whether you're deciding to apply for a new position, or adding a new role to your team it's important to look at impartial and accurate data on salaries, so you're putting your best foot forward in the war for talent.

With this in mind, we’ve collated base salary benchmarks for in-house teams from resources collated from a range of independent sources. Compare the average salary of newly qualified (NQ) and general counsel salaries to chief legal officer salaries in the UK, US and Canada, France, Germany and Australia.

The tables below break down the salaries of the average in-house lawyer salaries, which vary based on factors such as geographical location, role and experience.

Base salaries for in-house legal roles in the US and Canada

Typically, the US presents a higher starting salary across the in-house legal profession. The general counsel salary in NYC is around $20,000 higher than in Los Angeles, averaging at $338,353 compared to New York’s $352,838. These figures do not include the average additional cash compensation for general counsel roles.

Corporate and commercial roles	Salary range ($)
1-3 years’ PQE	120,000 - 190,000
4-6 years’ PQE	180,000 - 240,000
6-10 years’ PQE	190,000 - 280,000
10+ years’ PQE	220,000 +
Head of Legal	250,000 +
General Counsel	300,000 +

Base salaries for in-house legal and legal ops roles in UK

Salaries in the UK vary depending on the company, location and size of the in-house legal team. For example, the average general counsel salary in London is £204,798 per annum, higher than the average salary range for this role.

While those starting out as legal operation analysts in Manchester can expect to earn around £33,754 a year. See the table below to explore the full range of in-house legal team salaries in the UK.

Corporate and commercial roles	Salary range (£)
NQ	50,000 - 65,000
1-2 years’ PQE	60,000 - 80,000
3-4 years’ PQE	70,000 - 90,000
5-6 years’ PQE	80,000 - 100,000
7-8 years’ PQE	85,000 - 120,000
9-10 years’ PQE	90,000 - 135,000
10+ years’ PQE	100,000 - 140,000
Head of Legal / Director	100,000 - 175,000 +
General Counsel	150,000 - 275,000
Chief Legal Officer	250,000 - 300,000

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Legal operations roles	Salary range (£)
Legal Operations Analyst	35,000 - 40,000
Legal Operations Assistant	50,000 - 65,000
Legal Operations Manager	75,000 - 100,000
Head of Legal Operations	100,000 - 130,000

Base salaries for in-house legal roles in France

In France, the general counsel salary depends on similar factors to those listed above. It is worth noting that the average salary for general counsel in Paris is €145,479 a year, with an additional €18,346 - €27,250 in cash compensation bringing the salary total to that listed in the table.

Corporate and commercial roles	Salary range (€)
NQ	35,000 +
1-2 years’ PQE	35,000 - 45,000
3-4 years’ PQE	46,000 - 56,000
5-7 years’ PQE	56,000 - 80,000
8-9 years’ PQE	81,000 - 100,000
10+ years’ PQE	101,000 +
Head of Legal / Director	120,000 +
General Counsel	160,000 +

Base salaries for in-house legal roles in Germany

The average legal director salary in Germany is currently €133,243 inclusive of cash bonus, commission and profit sharing. The table below breaks down the salary range for a variety of in-house roles and experience levels.

Roles	Salary range (€)
Legal Counsel (1-3 years’ PQE)	60,500 - 90,000
Senior Legal Counsel (4+ years’ PQE)	84,000 - 109,000
Legal Team Lead	111,500 - 120,000
Head of Legal	120,200 - 137,000
Legal Director	149,500
General Counsel	161,400

Base salaries for in-house legal roles in Australia

As in the US, the average salary range for in-house counsel is higher in Australia, with newly qualified lawyers starting out as high as AU$90,000 in Sydney. General counsel roles in Brisbane have an average salary of AU$225,000 while a GC in Melbourne could earn as much as AU$240,000. It could be worth relocating!

Corporate and commercial roles	Salary range (AU$)
NQ	80,000 - 90,000
1-2 years’ PQE	95,000 - 120,000
3-4 years’ PQE	130,000 - 180,000
5-6 years’ PQE	150,000 - 220,000
7-8 years’ PQE	180,000 - 235,000
9-10 years’ PQE	185,000 - 240,000
10+ years’ PQE	225,000 +
Head of Legal / Director	240,000 +
General Counsel	245,000 +