Lawyer Pay
General counsel compensation climbs, aligned with equity and company scale
General counsel compensation continues to increase, particularly among large public and private equity-backed companies, creating a divide in how legal chiefs are paid. (Image from Shutterstock)
General counsel compensation continues to increase, particularly among large public and private equity-backed companies, creating a divide in how legal chiefs are paid.
According to the recently released 2026 In-House Counsel Compensation Report by executive search company BarkerGilmore, legal chiefs who are the most well paid work at companies offering stock and long-term incentives, which account for a growing share of pay.
Salary growth has steadied, the report found; however, the most gains are increasingly aligned with access to equity, company scale and ownership structure, according to coverage on Law.com.
For general counsels, the median salary increase is 3.5%; for managing and senior counsels, the median salary increase is 3%. General counsels at companies with $5 billion in revenue earn a median of $2.5 million, climbing to $5.41 million at the 90th percentile. Private company general counsels earn $3.2 million; those at portfolio-backed companies top out at $3.39 million.
“The divergence at the top reflects a meaningful evolution in how organizations define the general counsel role,” said Mary Rombaut, a fractional chief marketing officer at BarkerGilmore. “Boards and CEOs increasingly expect the GC to operate as a full enterprise leader, not simply the head of legal.”
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