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Legal Counsel salary
Average legal counsel salary
$132,867
How much does a legal counsel make?
The average legal counsel salary in the United States is $132,867. Legal counsel salaries typically range between $81,000 and $216,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for legal counsels is $63.88 per hour.
Legal counsel salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Legal counsels earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Legal Counsel earn more?
Legal Counsel Salaries By Experience Level
Experience Level  | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level legal counsel | $77,100 | $37.07 |
| Mid-level legal counsel | $93,100 | $44.74 |
| Senior-level legal counsel | $195,000 | $93.84 |
Legal Counsel salary estimates from across the web
Average legal counsel salary by state
Highest paying states for legal counsels
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $144,086 | $69.27 |
| 2 | New York | $132,575 | $63.74 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $125,726 | $60.45 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $137,442 | $66.08 |
| 5 | Colorado | $125,186 | $60.19 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $130,945 | $62.95 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $127,077 | $61.09 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $123,552 | $59.40 |
| 9 | Illinois | $123,226 | $59.24 |
| 10 | Washington | $121,448 | $58.39 |
| 11 | Virginia | $126,100 | $60.63 |
| 12 | Michigan | $111,986 | $53.84 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $111,890 | $53.79 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $121,984 | $58.65 |
| 15 | Nevada | $115,377 | $55.47 |
| 16 | Mississippi | $118,005 | $56.73 |
| 17 | Vermont | $114,093 | $54.85 |
| 18 | Utah | $107,305 | $51.59 |
| 19 | Georgia | $109,671 | $52.73 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $109,379 | $52.59 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $111,090 | $53.41 |
| 22 | Texas | $107,639 | $51.75 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $106,778 | $51.34 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $109,575 | $52.68 |
| 25 | Iowa | $110,520 | $53.13 |
| 26 | Arizona | $104,694 | $50.33 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $100,091 | $48.12 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $107,192 | $51.53 |
| 29 | Oregon | $101,870 | $48.98 |
| 30 | Delaware | $99,488 | $47.83 |
| 31 | Maine | $108,482 | $52.15 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $97,588 | $46.92 |
| 33 | Florida | $90,945 | $43.72 |
| 34 | Alaska | $94,585 | $45.47 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $96,322 | $46.31 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $94,863 | $45.61 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $95,647 | $45.98 |
| 38 | Ohio | $91,727 | $44.10 |
| 39 | Missouri | $92,093 | $44.28 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $93,013 | $44.72 |
| 41 | Alabama | $93,161 | $44.79 |
| 42 | Maryland | $93,765 | $45.08 |
| 43 | Idaho | $91,109 | $43.80 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $92,723 | $44.58 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $77,735 | $37.37 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $74,322 | $35.73 |
| 47 | Kansas | $86,052 | $41.37 |
| 48 | Indiana | $85,605 | $41.16 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $88,513 | $42.55 |
| 50 | Montana | $69,132 | $33.24 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $86,367 | $41.52 |
Highest paying cities for legal counsels
The highest-paying cities for legal counsels are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $152,542 | $73.34 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $139,878 | $67.25 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $134,320 | $64.58 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $128,208 | $61.64 |
| 5 | McLean, VA | $128,098 | $61.59 |
| 6 | Boulder, CO | $126,133 | $60.64 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $124,454 | $59.83 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $124,319 | $59.77 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $122,235 | $58.77 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $112,338 | $54.01 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $110,621 | $53.18 |
| 12 | Des Moines, IA | $110,221 | $52.99 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $109,711 | $52.75 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $109,631 | $52.71 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $107,439 | $51.65 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $107,043 | $51.46 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | $105,339 | $50.64 |
| 18 | Portland, OR | $100,984 | $48.55 |
| 19 | Madison, WI | $97,405 | $46.83 |
| 20 | Lincoln, NE | $94,739 | $45.55 |
Legal Counsel salary details
A legal counsel's salary ranges from $81,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $216,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a legal counsel's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $216,000 | $18,000 | $104 |
| 75th Percentile | $171,000 | $14,250 | $82 |
| Average | $132,867 | $11,072 | $64 |
| 25th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
Highest paying legal counsel jobs
The highest paying types of legal counsels are corporate counsel, assistant general counsel, and associate counsel.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Attorney | $110,028 | $9,169 | $52.90 | 75,402 |
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Attorney At Law | $108,018 | $9,002 | $51.93 | 7,025 |
| Lawyer | $115,808 | $9,651 | $55.68 | 2,897 |
| Contract Attorney | $97,474 | $8,123 | $46.86 | 13,592 |
| Legal Extern | $47,238 | $3,937 | $22.71 | 10,986 |
Top companies hiring legal counsels now:
Which companies pay legal counsels the most?
Legal counsel salaries at Apple and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average legal counsel salary at companies like Dechert and eBay are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $202,902 | $97.55 |
| 2 | PayPal | $201,564 | $96.91 |
| 3 | Dechert | $194,809 | $93.66 |
| 4 | eBay | $193,389 | $92.98 |
| 5 | Squire Patton Boggs | $192,411 | $92.51 |
| 6 | Enbridge | $191,321 | $91.98 |
| 7 | Gillette | $187,053 | $89.93 |
| 8 | Bloomberg | $186,629 | $89.73 |
| 9 | Intuitive Surgical | $185,929 | $89.39 |
| 10 | Cytokinetics | $185,350 | $89.11 |
| 11 | Palo Alto Networks | $185,344 | $89.11 |
| 12 | Amazon | $183,696 | $88.32 |
| 13 | RH | $182,472 | $87.73 |
| 14 | Workday | $182,350 | $87.67 |
| 15 | Squarespace | $180,984 | $87.01 |
| 16 | $180,824 | $86.93 | |
| 17 | Pandora | $177,725 | $85.44 |
| 18 | Fortinet | $177,010 | $85.10 |
| 19 | Palantir | $176,917 | $85.06 |
| 20 | Fundbox | $175,523 | $84.39 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Legal Counsel salary by industry
The average legal counsel salary varies across industries:
- The average legal counsel salary in the technology industry is $159,575, the highest of any industry.
- The average legal counsel salary in the finance industry is $145,530.
- Legal counsels in the government industry earn an average salary of $105,248, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for legal counsels
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $159,575 | $76.72 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $145,530 | $69.97 |
| 3 | Professional | $144,336 | $69.39 |
| 4 | Finance | $126,857 | $60.99 |
| 5 | Government | $105,248 | $50.60 |
High Paying Legal Counsel Jobs
Legal Counsel salary trends
The average legal counsel salary has risen by $14,257 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average legal counsel earned $118,610 annually, but today, they earn $132,867 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for legal counsels over the last decade.
Compare legal counsel salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average legal counsel salary over time
Compare legal counsel salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
Legal Counsel salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $133,000 | $63.88 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $129,000 | $61.88 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $127,000 | $60.85 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $125,000 | $60.01 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $124,000 | $59.46 | +2.0% |
Recently added legal counsel salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix, Inc. | Manager/Counsel, Physical Production Legal | Los Angeles, CA | 12/17/2024 | $70,000 |
| Genmab A/S | Director, Legal Counsel (US Market Operations) | Princeton, NJ | 12/17/2024 | $165,000 |
| Amazon | Trade Counsel, Global Trade Legal | Seattle, WA | 12/16/2024 | $138,500 |
| Intercom | Legal Counsel | San Francisco, CA | 12/16/2024 | $174,000 |
| One | US Legal Counsel | Ione, WA | 12/16/2024 | $125,000 |
| Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. | Legal Counsel-Contract Administrator | Waltham, MA | 12/16/2024 | $95,000 |
| Jellyfish | Commercial Legal Counsel | New York, NY | 12/16/2024 | $140,000 |
| Box | Counsel II, Product Legal | Austin, TX | 12/15/2024 | $140,500 |
| Box | Counsel II, Product Legal | Redwood City, CA | 12/15/2024 | $155,500 |
| Box | Counsel II, Product Legal | New York, NY | 12/15/2024 | $155,500 |
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