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In-House CounselC O M P E N S A T I O N R E P O R T
2012
Copyright © 2013 General Counsel Metrics. All rights reserved
Copyright © 2013 General Counsel Metrics. All rights reserved
About This Report
Introduction
Methodology
Understanding Box Plots, Scatter Plots, Strip Plots and Tables
Key Terms
Total Compensation By Industry
General Counsel
Lawyer
Total Compensation by Company Revenue
General Counsel
Lawyer
Total Compensation by Law School Year
General Counsel
Lawyer
Total Compensation by Practice Area
Lawyer
Base by Industry
General Counsel
Lawyer
Bonus By Industry
General Counsel
Lawyer
Base By Company Revenue
General Counsel
Lawyer
Bonus By Company Revenue
General Counsel
Lawyer
Base By Law School Year
General Counsel
Lawyer
Bonus By Law School Year
General Counsel
Lawyer
Base By Practice Area
Lawyer
Bonus By Practice Area
Lawyer
Report Summary
Notes
Table of Contents
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49
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 3
INTRODUCTION
General Counsel report that they are under more cost pressures than ever. The “black box” that so many
GCs used to shield legal expenses from the CFO no longer exists. GCs are being told to meet budget like
every other senior executive, or else. So senior legal executives are increasingly seeking benchmarking
information to measure their efficiency. Attorney compensation is the largest single piece of the internal
cost puzzle. And let’s face it, compensation is the piece all lawyers love to talk about!
We hope you enjoy our survey. Please reach out to us if you have questions.
Rees Morrison Bob Graff
President VP Global Business Development
GC Metrics Major, Lindsey & Africa
[email protected] | 404.601.1626
BACKGROUND
So in the fall of 2012, Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA—the world’s largest attorney search firm) and General
Counsel Metrics, LLC (GC Metrics—the leading firm in the world on law department benchmarking), joined
forces to create this In-House Counsel Compensation Report. The Report combined data on in-house
compensation that MLA and GC Metrics had collected throughout the year. It reports on over 1700 lawyers.
As part of its services to locate and place appropriate lawyers for companies, MLA obtains essential
compensation information from hundreds of lawyers every year. To date, this information has not been
organized in the fashion of this Report. For its part, in 2012, GC Metrics began collecting compensation
data from the companies that chose to participate in its benchmark survey, the largest law department
staffing and spending benchmarking survey in the world. These two sources are combined to provide the
data in this Report.
In order to respect confidentiality, this Report does not disclose any information about any
individual or any individual company.
THE SOURCE DATA
The data collected for each position included the following:
• Base salary in 2011 • Position as either General Counsel or Lawyer
• Cash bonus awarded for 2011 • Company revenue in fiscal year 2011
• Law school graduation year • Company industry
• Primary practice area
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 4
STATISTICAL TERMS USED
The statistical terms used in the Report are defined below.
• The median (or the 50th percentile) is the middle or central number of a list sorted from high to low.
• The average (or mean) is the total value of all observations divided by the number of observations.
While an average can be distorted by “outliers”—data that is abnormally high or low—a median is not.
Most of the graphs in this report do not show outliers. Finally, percentages may not total 100 percent
because of rounding.
UNDERSTANDING BOX PLOTS, SCATTER PLOTS, STRIP PLOTS AND TABLES
Box plots. A dark, horizontal line inside the box plot shows the middle value of the
group of values when sorted high to low—the median for the benchmark. This would be
represented by the height of the bar on a simple bar graph.
Midway between the median and the lowest value is the first quartile, the line forming
the bottom of the box. Midway between the median and the highest value is the third
quartile, the line forming the top of the box. The difference between the first quartile and
third quartile is the inter-quartile range (IQR). The width of the box indicates how many
data points fall in the range.
An “outside value” is larger than the third quartile up to 1.5 times the IQR (shown as the dashed “whisker” at
the top of the box), or smaller than the lower quartile minus 1.5 times the IQR (the bottom “whisker”). The
box plots in this report do not show values more extreme than either whisker.
The actual figures for each of three key numbers of the box plot are in the table accompanying the plot. The
key shows that the top row is the third quartile (sometimes called the 75% quartile); the median; and then
the first quartile (aka the 25% quartile), all in descending order as in the box plot.
As a visual point of reference, when applicable, the $200,000 mark is indicated by a red horizontal line.
Next page: Scatter Plots, Strip Plots and Tables
Median
3rd Q
1st Q
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 5
Scatter plots. Each dot on the scatter plot represents one data point; the value of one variable determines the
position on the horizontal or X axis and the value of the other variable determines the position on the vertical
or Y axis. The trend line represents the middle values and is what a simple line graph would look like. So the
more dense the data points the less variation from the median.
In the graph at right, the values on the X axis represent the year
each lawyer graduated from law school. The values on the Y
axis represent total compensation. Each dot represents the total
compensation of an individual lawyer by the year they graduated
from law school. For graduate year 1980, total compensation
ranged from $30,000 to $89,000. For 2000 year graduates, total
compensation ranged from $30,000 to $55,000.
Strip plots. The strip plots display a dot for each person’s
compensation, varying by total compensation, base, or bonus,
and each broken into various categories: by industry, by revenue
ranges, by graduation year, or by practice. The horizontal axis
lets you determine the actual figures, but note that we have
truncated a handful of them above $800,000 so that the strip plot
does not squeeze together the many lower figures. The vertical
red line indicates the median of each strip.
Tables. The tables show summary statistics for the data presented in the preceding graphics. They include
quartile calculations and averages (means). Note that if there are fewer than six data points for a category,
such as graduates of law school in 2011 or tax specialists in the practice data, there is no row because there
is insufficient data.
Next page: Key Terms
1980 1990 2000
$90,000
$70,000
$50,000
$80,000
$60,000
$40,000
Industry 6
Industry 5
Industry 4
Industry 3
Industry 2
Industry 1
$100,000$50,000$0
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 6
KEY TERMS
Total or Total Cash Compensation: The sum of the base salary and the cash bonus. It does not
include the value of equity awards.
Law School Year: The year a lawyer graduated from law school.
Industry: The table below shows the abbreviations used for Industry in the pages that follow.
Aerospace/Defense AERO
Business Services BUS
Construction/Engineering CONSTR
Consumer Products CP
Education EDU
Energy ENERGY
Entertainment/Media/Lodging/Restaurants ENTER
Extractive/Mining/Chemicals EXTRACT
Financial Services FIN
Food & Beverage FOOD
Health System HOSP
Healthcare HEALTH
Practice Area: The table below shows the abbreviations used for Practice Area in the pages that follow.
Compliance COMPL Healthcare HEALTH Mergers & Acquisitions M&A
Contracts CONTR Industry Specific IND Real Estate RE
Corporate CORP International INTL Regulatory REG
Employment/Labor EMPL Intellectual Property IP Securities SEC
Government Relations GOVREL Litigation LIT Tax TAX
Insurance INS
Manufacturing MANUF
Medical Devices MED
Not-for-Profit/Government NFP
Pharmaceutical PHARM
Real Estate RE
Retail RETAIL
Technology TECH
Telecommunications TC
Transportation TRANSP
Utilities UTIL
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 7
INDUSTRY
General Counsel Total Compensation by Industry
q How to read this chart: For INDUSTRY the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
General Counsel focused in that INDUSTRY.
GCs in Extractive/Mining/Chemicals and Food & Beverage are the highest paid, along with Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical.
Not surprisingly, Not-for-Profit/Government, Education and Construction/Engineering are at the lowest end of the spectrum.
,000
$
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 8
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel who
work in the specified industry. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
AERO -- -- -- -- <6
BUS $235,000 $300,000 $367,188 $132,188 24
CONSTR $165,000 $192,000 $232,450 $67,450 11
CP $195,250 $260,500 $486,250 $291,000 6
EDU $179,000 $222,500 $323,974 $144,974 8
ENERGY $250,000 $358,828 $472,500 $222,500 18
ENTER $221,250 $309,929 $530,500 $309,250 20
EXTRACT -- -- -- -- <6
FIN $185,920 $295,000 $438,400 $252,480 33
FOOD $247,500 $425,875 $479,500 $232,000 16
HEALTH $276,000 $325,000 $460,000 $184,000 17
HOSP $229,250 $300,000 $387,098 $157,848 124
INS $221,000 $315,180 $388,500 $167,500 11
MANUF $257,570 $333,102 $450,000 $192,430 49
MED $345,000 $422,688 $483,700 $138,700 9
NFP $154,500 $170,000 $203,500 $49,000 15
PHARM $311,150 $375,000 $394,400 $83,250 13
RE -- -- -- -- <6
RETAIL $278,750 $323,500 $389,019 $110,269 20
TC $209,550 $237,500 $320,000 $110,450 9
TECH $245,000 $289,000 $354,000 $109,000 37
TRANSP $240,000 $267,500 $340,000 $100,000 9
UTIL -- -- -- -- <6
General Counsel Total Compensation by Industry
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 9
lawyer Total Compensation by Industry
q How to read this chart: For INDUSTRY the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
Lawyers focused in that INDUSTRY.
As with GCs, total cash compensation for all in-house lawyers is highest in Extractive/Mining/Chemicals, Medical Devices, and
Pharmaceutical. In addition to Not-For-Profit/Government, in-house lawyers in the Utilities industry are at the lower end of the range.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 10
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who work in
the specified industry. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
AERO $129,150 $182,100 $235,738 $106,588 14
BUS $174,300 $190,000 $249,850 $75,550 57
CONSTR $125,000 $165,750 $267,500 $142,500 12
CP $139,531 $210,000 $265,250 $125,719 10
EDU $136,250 $197,646 $218,013 $81,763 25
ENERGY $180,879 $214,172 $249,006 $68,127 36
ENTER $159,000 $215,553 $254,500 $95,500 56
EXTRACT $205,000 $260,000 $355,100 $150,100 20
FIN $164,375 $219,400 $321,000 $156,625 92
FOOD $167,085 $210,000 $256,500 $89,415 63
HEALTH $146,500 $181,638 $252,300 $105,800 42
HOSP $125,000 $157,976 $200,625 $75,625 336
INS $145,708 $190,657 $214,988 $69,280 35
MANUF $161,895 $200,000 $260,000 $98,105 141
MED $215,625 $261,000 $298,500 $82,875 35
NFP $95,364 $115,000 $130,000 $34,636 45
PHARM $219,160 $271,644 $329,312 $110,152 30
RE $166,625 $196,000 $223,875 $57,250 22
RETAIL $136,071 $170,500 $218,500 $82,429 35
TC $149,750 $180,000 $205,000 $55,250 17
TECH $171,000 $208,750 $249,750 $78,750 102
TRANSP $150,000 $170,000 $235,000 $85,000 17
UTIL $118,500 $128,000 $187,000 $68,500 15
lawyer Total Compensation by Industry
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 11
COMPANY REVENUE
General Counsel Total Compensation by Company Revenue
q How to read this chart: For COMPANY REVENUE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation.
Midway between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total
(some extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the
numbers of General Counsel focused in that COMPANY REVENUE grouping period.
A shortage of data points for GCs with companies that have revenue in the $3-4B and $4-5B ranges makes drawing meaningful
conclusions difficult. Companies with revenues less than $1B pay their GCs less than larger companies.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 12
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel in
that COMPANY REVENUE grouping. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
$0-1B $195,000 $268,000 $351,500 $156,500 295
$1-2B $311,000 $386,131 $467,500 $156,500 59
$2-3B $315,000 $450,000 $537,000 $222,000 32
$3-4B $317,852 $440,000 $684,615 $366,763 15
$4-5B $284,038 $390,000 $468,750 $184,712 14
$5B+ $343,160 $460,948 $550,200 $207,040 32
General Counsel Total Compensation by Company Revenue
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 13
lawyer Total Compensation by Company Revenue
q How to read this chart: For COMPANY REVENUE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation.
Midway between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total
(some extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the
numbers of Lawyers in that COMPANY REVENUE grouping.
Across all company sizes median total cash compensation for all in-house lawyers is in a remarkably tight range.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 14
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers in that
COMPANY REVENUE grouping. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
$0-1B $125,000 $170,000 $225,000 $100,000 420
$1-2B $135,000 $175,200 $211,000 $76,000 189
$2-3B $150,000 $194,688 $231,160 $81,160 109
$3-4B $189,619 $248,750 $300,000 $110,381 58
$4-5B $144,000 $185,658 $240,000 $96,000 73
$5B+ $161,599 $205,405 $273,000 $111,401 358
lawyer Total Compensation by Company Revenue
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 15
LAW SCHOOL YEAR
General Counsel Total Compensation by Law School Year
q How to read this chart: For LAW SCHOOL YEAR the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation.
Midway between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total
(some extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the
numbers of General Counsel who graduated from LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR.
Broadly speaking, GCs with over 20 years of practice experience cross over the $300,000 total cash compensation hurdle. Those
with over 30 years of practice experience have the highest compensation numbers.
$
$
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 16
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel who
graduated from LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR. We have sorted the table by the median column.
*<6 positions reported for each year. Individual data points appear on scatter plot only.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
1975 $196,500 $263,000 $373,621 $177,121 14
1976 $262,500 $320,000 $347,500 $85,000 7
1977 $247,500 $282,000 $345,000 $97,500 8
1978 $414,516 $445,000 $495,125 $80,609 12
1979 -- -- -- -- <6*
1980 $248,125 $269,700 $347,500 $99,375 14
1981 $278,343 $362,500 $469,512 $191,170 16
1982 $230,000 $262,500 $300,426 $70,426 18
1983 $325,000 $440,000 $475,457 $150,457 17
1984 $241,900 $346,000 $448,000 $206,100 13
1985 $261,250 $363,000 $442,775 $181,525 27
1986 $180,000 $325,000 $360,000 $180,000 21
1987 $225,500 $278,500 $435,000 $209,500 18
1988 $257,570 $300,000 $420,000 $162,430 21
1989 $248,000 $335,000 $444,200 $196,200 19
1990 $250,000 $320,000 $410,000 $160,000 21
1991 $275,000 $381,000 $489,350 $214,350 27
1992 $236,250 $278,000 $340,610 $104,360 20
1993 $210,000 $290,000 $430,000 $220,000 21
1994 $258,000 $308,000 $338,292 $80,292 16
1995 $263,000 $345,000 $433,388 $170,388 17
1996 $217,275 $240,000 $295,000 $77,725 11
1997 $268,000 $295,000 $346,450 $78,450 27
1998 $212,748 $279,400 $433,500 $220,752 15
1999 $159,000 $227,500 $288,125 $129,125 12
2000 $181,500 $236,250 $333,750 $152,250 20
2001 $168,750 $171,500 $201,250 $32,500 8
2002 $120,000 $215,455 $325,000 $205,000 8
2003-2012 -- -- -- -- <6*
General Counsel Total Compensation by Law School Year
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 17
lawyer Total Compensation by Law School Year
q How to read this chart: For LAW SCHOOL YEAR the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation.
Midway between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total
(some extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the
numbers of Lawyers who graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR.
Across all in-house lawyers, a broader trend is visible with total cash compensation peaking with about 32 years of experience and
then declining.
$
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 18
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range
(IQR—the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who
graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported1975 $158,500 $208,438 $275,255 $116,755 16
1976 $172,600 $211,000 $309,500 $136,900 11
1977 $225,832 $240,000 $275,267 $49,434 7
1978 $156,750 $221,834 $312,500 $155,750 7
1979 $156,917 $195,168 $235,000 $78,083 9
1980 $215,000 $256,460 $308,000 $93,000 7
1981 $179,750 $262,445 $351,785 $172,035 6
1982 $183,625 $199,500 $235,285 $51,660 12
1983 $159,250 $203,338 $300,827 $141,577 14
1984 $180,387 $214,716 $312,228 $131,840 16
1985 $165,000 $218,013 $330,000 $165,000 25
1986 $156,400 $204,776 $247,000 $90,600 29
1987 $177,557 $216,648 $250,000 $72,443 30
1988 $202,672 $233,000 $298,750 $96,078 34
1989 $185,389 $228,698 $338,860 $153,471 27
1990 $148,413 $208,500 $280,500 $132,087 44
1991 $163,200 $215,000 $258,500 $95,300 51
1992 $177,000 $225,000 $271,400 $94,400 37
1993 $165,000 $223,000 $271,312 $106,312 71
1994 $177,466 $213,020 $267,000 $89,534 56
1995 $163,750 $207,500 $274,406 $110,656 48
1996 $171,946 $215,500 $263,600 $91,654 52
1997 $164,769 $197,500 $248,350 $83,581 64
1998 $144,250 $185,800 $223,488 $79,238 66
1999 $150,500 $193,000 $225,059 $74,559 71
2000 $145,000 $176,816 $225,500 $80,500 76
2001 $143,500 $170,250 $214,303 $70,803 50
2002 $129,992 $149,875 $179,500 $49,508 54
2003 $120,500 $155,000 $190,500 $70,000 31
2004 $126,000 $158,500 $196,922 $70,922 67
2005 $122,000 $136,412 $161,250 $39,250 35
2006 $102,500 $125,000 $147,000 $44,500 39
2007 $110,000 $144,701 $154,000 $44,000 25
2008 $93,000 $112,307 $130,000 $37,000 15
2009 $63,750 $96,840 $116,250 $52,500 8
2010 $68,125 $75,000 $86,938 $18,812 8
2011-2012 -- -- -- -- <6*
*<6 positions reported for each year. Individual data points appear on scatter plot only.
lawyer Total Compensation by Law School Year
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 19
PRACTICE AREA
lawyer Total Compensation by Practice Area
q How to read this chart: For PRACTICE AREA the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial total compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
Lawyers focused in that PRACTICE AREA.
For all in-house lawyers, those who practice Securities, Healthcare, and Intellectual Property have the highest total cash
compensation. It should be noted that the number of specialists is small compared with the number of in-house practitioners who
describe themselves as “corporate” for practice area.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 20
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who work in
the specified PRACTICE AREA. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
COMPL $152,500 $175,000 $205,000 $52,500 35
CONTR $125,093 $174,500 $215,250 $90,157 108
CORP $153,362 $204,300 $270,516 $117,153 463
EMPL $147,243 $179,000 $215,753 $68,510 68
GOV REL $109,070 $129,000 $155,000 $45,930 35
HEALTH $159,197 $209,445 $251,725 $92,528 14
IND $150,000 $176,000 $238,269 $88,269 83
INTL $187,329 $200,000 $217,500 $30,171 7
IP $163,000 $201,204 $250,000 $87,000 85
LIT $154,000 $200,000 $256,460 $102,460 105
M&A $170,000 $200,000 $276,019 $106,019 17
RE $135,000 $182,400 $247,255 $112,255 33
REG $137,500 $200,000 $237,900 $100,400 65
SEC $205,000 $215,400 $300,000 $95,000 13
TAX $129,250 $164,210 $217,422 $88,172 6
lawyer Total Compensation by Practice Area
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 21
BASE BY INDUSTRY
General Counsel Base Compensation by Industry
q How to read this chart: For INDUSTRY the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
General Counsel focused in that INDUSTRY.
GC base salaries track total compensation trends for the most part with Medical Device and Pharmaceutical industries at the top.
Interestingly, Food & Beverage GCs have the third highest median salary by industry. Cheers!
$
,000
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 22
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel who
work in the specified INDUSTRY. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
AERO -- -- -- -- <6
BUS $212,500 $255,000 $300,000 $87,500 24
CONSTR $155,000 $175,000 $200,000 $45,000 11
CP $172,250 $229,500 $411,250 $239,000 6
EDU $179,000 $204,000 $286,000 $107,000 8
ENERGY $231,250 $268,025 $308,750 $77,500 18
ENTER $184,688 $238,500 $351,750 $167,062 20
EXTRACT -- -- -- -- <6
FIN $183,000 $221,000 $325,645 $142,645 33
FOOD $200,000 $295,000 $406,250 $206,250 16
HEALTH $240,000 $260,000 $350,000 $110,000 17
HOSP $200,000 $265,000 $327,375 $127,375 124
INS $192,000 $290,000 $312,590 $120,590 11
MANUF $220,000 $282,000 $350,000 $130,000 49
MED $260,000 $310,800 $355,000 $95,000 9
NFP $142,000 $162,900 $195,000 $53,000 15
PHARM $245,000 $300,000 $335,000 $90,000 13
RE -- -- -- -- <6
RETAIL $208,750 $267,500 $318,500 $109,750 20
TC $165,000 $190,000 $320,000 $155,000 9
TECH $200,000 $240,000 $295,000 $95,000 37
TRANSP $200,000 $214,000 $240,000 $40,000 9
UTIL -- -- -- -- <6
General Counsel Base Compensation by Industry
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 23
lawyer Base Compensation by Industry
q How to read this chart: For INDUSTRY the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
Lawyers focused in that INDUSTRY.
For all in-house lawyers, the trends track GC salaries with Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices at the top. Consumer Products is
third, with Extractive/Mining/Chemicals and Education also in the top five.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 24
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who work in
the specified INDUSTRY. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
AERO $121,250 $163,000 $185,750 $64,500 14
BUS $145,000 $170,000 $200,000 $55,000 57
CONSTR $125,000 $165,750 $235,000 $110,000 12
CP $125,000 $192,500 $230,250 $105,250 10
EDU $125,000 $185,658 $218,013 $93,013 25
ENERGY $155,000 $170,500 $200,250 $45,250 36
ENTER $148,750 $175,000 $221,250 $72,500 56
EXTRACT $175,000 $189,021 $205,000 $30,000 20
FIN $148,792 $178,628 $228,250 $79,458 92
FOOD $148,070 $175,000 $191,125 $43,055 63
HEALTH $131,250 $165,000 $189,040 $57,790 42
HOSP $124,841 $150,000 $185,509 $60,668 336
INS $132,500 $155,000 $195,000 $62,500 35
MANUF $149,153 $175,000 $210,000 $60,847 141
MED $180,000 $199,000 $238,500 $58,500 35
NFP $95,000 $115,000 $126,251 $31,251 45
PHARM $180,750 $222,500 $275,250 $94,500 30
RE $126,750 $146,000 $162,500 $35,750 22
RETAIL $127,500 $141,142 $181,500 $54,000 35
TC $115,000 $155,000 $172,000 $57,000 17
TECH $150,000 $175,000 $213,750 $63,750 102
TRANSP $125,000 $150,000 $200,000 $75,000 17
UTIL $106,000 $114,000 $158,000 $52,000 15
lawyer Base Compensation by Industry
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 25
BONUS BY INDUSTRY
General Counsel Bonus Compensation by Industry
q How to read this chart: For INDUSTRY the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
General Counsel focused in that INDUSTRY.
GCs in the Medical Devices industry receive the largest cash bonuses, with Energy and Food & Beverage beating out
Pharmaceutical. Retail rounds out the top five.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 26
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel who
work in the specified INDUSTRY. We have sorted the table by the median column.
General Counsel Bonus Compensation by Industry
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
AERO -- -- -- -- <6
BUS $0 $31,500 $78,460 $78,460 24
CONSTR $0 $24,000 $42,450 $42,450 11
CP $0 $5,000 $49,000 $49,000 6
EDU $0 $0 $5,724 $5,724 8
ENERGY $0 $77,800 $142,681 $142,681 18
ENTER $30,000 $61,500 $208,125 $178,125 20
EXTRACT -- -- -- -- <6
FIN $0 $25,920 $100,000 $100,000 33
FOOD $33,000 $69,900 $125,850 $92,850 16
HEALTH $30,000 $57,000 $200,000 $170,000 17
HOSP $0 $30,000 $57,000 $57,000 124
INS $0 $30,000 $62,500 $62,500 11
MANUF $0 $40,504 $105,437 $105,437 49
MED $85,000 $111,888 $150,000 $65,000 9
NFP $0 $5,000 $21,350 $21,350 15
PHARM $38,250 $67,500 $104,400 $66,150 13
RE -- -- -- -- <6
RETAIL $30,812 $60,000 $100,616 $69,804 20
TC $0 $14,670 $44,550 $44,550 9
TECH $5,000 $45,000 $98,503 $93,503 37
TRANSP $0 $53,500 $81,000 $81,000 9
UTIL -- -- -- -- <6
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 27
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Industry
q How to read this chart: For INDUSTRY the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway
between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some
extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of
Lawyers focused in that INDUSTRY.
For in-house lawyers, the industries that provide the largest cash bonuses are Extractive/Mining/Chemicals and Real Estate.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 28
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who work in
the specified INDUSTRY. We have sorted the table by the median column.
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Industry
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
AERO $0 $18,900 $37,256 $37,256 14
BUS $0 $25,000 $45,800 $45,800 57
CONSTR $0 $0 $0 $0 12
CP $6,250 $24,062 $38,750 $32,500 10
EDU $0 $0 $0 $0 25
ENERGY $19,860 $32,500 $50,336 $30,476 36
ENTER $10,000 $24,650 $51,938 $41,938 56
EXTRACT $33,750 $75,000 $137,500 $103,750 20
FIN $0 $27,500 $77,000 $77,000 92
FOOD $19,294 $42,300 $64,040 $44,746 63
HEALTH $10,000 $19,600 $56,156 $46,156 42
HOSP $0 $0 $13,883 $13,883 336
INS $0 $17,415 $40,320 $40,320 35
MANUF $0 $24,750 $51,300 $51,300 141
MED $33,450 $52,110 $70,000 $36,550 35
NFP $0 $0 $4,140 $4,140 45
PHARM $22,500 $46,650 $69,852 $47,352 30
RE $40,000 $56,500 $64,750 $24,750 22
RETAIL $11,050 $25,000 $38,300 $27,250 35
TC $10,000 $30,000 $38,880 $28,880 17
TECH $0 $27,082 $51,500 $51,500 102
TRANSP $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 $10,000 17
UTIL $12,000 $14,000 $29,000 $17,000 15
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 29
BASE BY COMPANY REVENUE
General Counsel Base Compensation by Company Revenue
q How to read this chart: For COMPANY REVENUE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation.
Midway between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total
(some extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the
numbers of General Counsel in that COMPANY REVENUE grouping.
Once revenue crosses $1B, companies pay base salaries to GCs that are in a fairly tight range.
,000
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 30
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel in
that COMPANY REVENUE grouping. We have sorted the table by the median column.
General Counsel Base Compensation by Company Revenue
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
$0-1B $175,500 $235,000 $281,000 $105,500 295
$1-2B $260,000 $320,000 $352,000 $92,000 59
$2-3B $241,500 $350,000 $405,000 $163,500 32
$3-4B $238,525 $340,000 $429,000 $190,475 15
$4-5B $223,475 $312,500 $398,750 $175,275 14
$5B+ $265,500 $350,000 $424,250 $158,750 32
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 31
lawyer Base Compensation by Company Revenue
q How to read this chart: For COMPANY REVENUE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation.
Midway between the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total
(some extreme totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the
numbers of Lawyers focused in that COMPANY REVENUE grouping.
Base salaries for all in-house lawyers is highest for companies in the $3-4B and $4-5B revenue range, and then start to decrease. This
could be due to larger companies having more in-house lawyers, and therefore a wider range of experience and thus salary levels.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 32
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers in that
COMPANY REVENUE grouping. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
$0-1B $121,711 $156,260 $190,000 $68,289 420
$1-2B $125,258 $155,000 $190,000 $64,742 189
$2-3B $132,000 $166,000 $211,900 $79,900 109
$3-4B $164,250 $198,000 $219,125 $54,875 58
$4-5B $136,656 $177,900 $220,000 $83,344 73
$5B+ $142,000 $175,000 $214,750 $72,750 358
lawyer Base Compensation by Company Revenue
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 33
BONUS BY COMPANY REVENUE
General Counsel Bonus Compensation by Company Revenue
q How to read this chart: For BONUS the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of General
Counsel focused in that REVENUE BAND grouping.
The impact of company revenues on GC bonuses seems fairly small once revenue crosses the $1B level.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 34
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel in
that REVENUE BAND grouping. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
$0-1B $0 $30,000 $75,000 $75,000 295
$1-2B $0 $51,299 $106,048 $106,048 59
$2-3B $7,500 $65,000 $172,000 $164,500 32
$3-4B $59,852 $135,000 $245,000 $185,148 15
$4-5B $8,750 $58,075 $122,006 $113,256 14
$5B+ $17,700 $66,750 $163,125 $145,425 32
General Counsel Bonus Compensation by Company Revenue
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 35
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Company Revenue
q How to read this chart: For BONUS the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of Lawyers
in that REVENUE BAND grouping.
Bonuses across all in-house lawyers increase with the revenues of their employers.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 36
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers in that
REVENUE BAND grouping. We have sorted the table by the median column.
*The median bonus for lawyers in the $4-5B range is $0 because 39 of the positions (more than the median) reported zero bonus.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
$0-1B $0 $12,995 $35,250 $35,250 420
$1-2B $0 $10,000 $29,200 $29,200 189
$2-3B $0 $20,000 $40,000 $40,000 109
$3-4B $18,501 $56,925 $95,411 $76,910 58
$4-5B $0 $0* $15,000 $15,000 73
$5B+ $10,364 $32,200 $59,900 $49,536 358
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Company Revenue
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 37
BASE BY LAW SCHOOL YEAR
General Counsel Base Compensation by Law School Year
q How to read this chart: For BASE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of General
Counsel who graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR.
Base salaries for GCs with less than 12 years of practice experience are lowest, and GCs with about 30 years of experience have
the highest base salaries. The bulk of GCs, regardless of experience, make a base salary of approximately $250K.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 38
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel who
graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
1975 $183,000 $238,748 $297,500 $114,500 14
1976 $247,500 $275,000 $297,500 $50,000 7
1977 $233,750 $255,000 $287,250 $53,500 8
1978 $340,200 $370,000 $400,000 $59,800 12
1979 -- -- -- -- <6*
1980 $205,000 $255,000 $302,250 $97,250 14
1981 $225,608 $280,000 $362,500 $136,892 16
1982 $200,000 $237,500 $267,500 $67,500 18
1983 $270,000 $354,000 $400,000 $130,000 17
1984 $217,328 $310,000 $420,000 $202,672 13
1985 $227,500 $300,000 $346,500 $119,000 27
1986 $160,000 $250,000 $288,000 $128,000 21
1987 $192,500 $217,000 $380,000 $187,500 18
1988 $215,000 $280,000 $340,000 $125,000 21
1989 $235,000 $253,000 $330,322 $95,322 19
1990 $200,000 $275,000 $325,000 $125,000 21
1991 $225,000 $290,000 $351,000 $126,000 27
1992 $222,500 $240,000 $263,750 $41,250 20
1993 $200,000 $260,000 $320,000 $120,000 21
1994 $232,250 $250,000 $285,000 $52,750 16
1995 $204,000 $260,000 $341,250 $137,250 17
1996 $200,000 $203,000 $295,000 $95,000 11
1997 $202,000 $252,270 $289,000 $87,000 27
1998 $178,925 $240,000 $287,500 $108,575 15
1999 $147,500 $170,500 $246,250 $98,750 12
2000 $170,000 $201,000 $228,750 $58,750 20
2001 $145,000 $165,000 $170,750 $25,750 8
2002 $120,000 $197,500 $265,000 $145,000 8
2003-2012 -- -- -- -- <6*
*<6 positions reported for each year. Individual data points appear on scatter plot only.
General Counsel Base Compensation by Law School Year
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 39
lawyer Base Compensation by Law School Year
q How to read this chart: For BASE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation. Midway between the
median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme totals
omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of Lawyers who
graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR.
Median base salaries for in-house lawyers cross the $180,000 mark at about 20 years of experience, and peak at about 30 years out
of law school.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 40
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range
(IQR—the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who
graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported1975 $143,750 $195,500 $211,250 $67,500 16
1976 $162,500 $205,000 $230,000 $67,500 11
1977 $182,475 $210,000 $219,378 $36,902 7
1978 $156,750 $221,834 $312,500 $155,750 7
1979 $145,000 $165,000 $225,000 $80,000 9
1980 $215,000 $256,460 $281,500 $66,500 7
1981 $168,500 $201,500 $264,500 $96,000 6
1982 $151,875 $180,500 $210,250 $58,375 12
1983 $131,250 $173,521 $235,721 $104,471 14
1984 $157,644 $196,882 $247,750 $90,106 16
1985 $155,000 $180,000 $230,000 $75,000 25
1986 $152,000 $177,300 $214,000 $62,000 29
1987 $149,550 $176,128 $197,750 $48,200 30
1988 $180,000 $200,000 $212,244 $32,244 34
1989 $172,000 $200,000 $281,658 $109,658 27
1990 $134,368 $187,829 $205,131 $70,764 44
1991 $152,500 $185,389 $218,500 $66,000 51
1992 $166,910 $196,742 $225,000 $58,090 37
1993 $151,995 $178,000 $225,500 $73,505 71
1994 $159,250 $180,900 $225,750 $66,500 56
1995 $153,750 $175,000 $221,250 $67,500 48
1996 $150,000 $182,500 $215,000 $65,000 52
1997 $148,750 $167,500 $216,850 $68,100 64
1998 $130,000 $165,000 $183,500 $53,500 66
1999 $141,000 $170,000 $193,662 $52,662 71
2000 $130,000 $162,245 $185,461 $55,461 76
2001 $135,362 $156,478 $193,750 $58,388 50
2002 $123,263 $140,000 $163,750 $40,487 54
2003 $114,500 $130,000 $157,500 $43,000 31
2004 $125,000 $136,450 $170,000 $45,000 67
2005 $118,000 $125,168 $138,225 $20,225 35
2006 $102,500 $115,250 $132,500 $30,000 39
2007 $110,000 $128,700 $145,000 $35,000 25
2008 $89,000 $107,000 $117,500 $28,500 15
2009 $63,750 $94,340 $102,500 $38,750 8
2010 $68,000 $75,000 $85,688 $17,688 8
2011-2012 -- -- -- -- <6*
*<6 positions reported for each year. Individual data points appear on scatter plot only.
lawyer Base Compensation by Law School Year
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 41
BONUS BY LAW SCHOOL YEAR
General Counsel Bonus Compensation by Law School Year
q How to read this chart: For BONUS the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of General
Counsel who graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR.
GC bonuses do not appear to be highly correlated with years of experience. Size of company and industry are more relevant here.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 42
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of General Counsel who
graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
1975 $0 $33,500 $87,500 $87,500 14
1976 $0 $30,000 $65,000 $65,000 7
1977 $0 $25,000 $56,250 $56,250 8
1978 $72,500 $93,750 $116,416 $43,916 12
1979 -- -- -- -- <6*
1980 $0 $24,400 $50,000 $50,000 14
1981 $21,250 $76,000 $185,038 $163,788 16
1982 $2,500 $27,500 $36,875 $34,375 18
1983 $0 $50,000 $100,000 $100,000 17
1984 $0 $25,380 $75,000 $75,000 13
1985 $0 $25,000 $125,275 $125,275 27
1986 $3,000 $28,000 $100,000 $97,000 21
1987 $2,500 $35,000 $67,500 $65,000 18
1988 $0 $42,570 $68,000 $68,000 21
1989 $0 $45,000 $113,732 $113,732 19
1990 $0 $33,750 $82,350 $82,350 21
1991 $3,150 $40,000 $128,850 $125,700 27
1992 $0 $30,000 $75,000 $75,000 20
1993 $0 $30,000 $90,000 $90,000 21
1994 $18,750 $47,500 $73,088 $54,338 16
1995 $40,800 $65,545 $100,000 $59,200 17
1996 $0 $5,000 $42,275 $42,275 11
1997 $0 $55,350 $93,800 $93,800 27
1998 $23,500 $41,906 $129,700 $106,200 15
1999 $9,000 $41,000 $64,000 $55,000 12
2000 $0 $32,500 $72,500 $72,500 20
2001 $0 $21,500 $40,000 $40,000 8
2002 $0 $17,955 $60,000 $60,000 8
2003-2012 -- -- -- -- <6*
*<6 positions reported for each year. Individual data points appear on scatter plot only.
General Counsel Bonus Compensation by Law School Year
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 43
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Law School Year
q How to read this chart: For BONUS the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of Lawyers
who graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR.
Bonus levels for all in-house peak at 25-30 years of experience.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 44
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range
(IQR—the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who
graduated LAW SCHOOL in that YEAR. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported1975 $0 $1,500 $41,300 $41,300 16
1976 $0 $10,000 $44,600 $44,600 11
1977 $18,000 $29,170 $56,480 $38,480 7
1978 $0 $0 $0 $0 7
1979 $11,445 $28,258 $42,726 $31,281 9
1980 $0 $0 $10,000 $10,000 7
1981 $3,000 $28,500 $68,918 $65,918 6
1982 $0 $26,000 $40,605 $40,605 12
1983 $15,638 $36,388 $74,345 $58,708 14
1984 $11,250 $32,470 $64,935 $53,685 16
1985 $0 $15,386 $65,000 $65,000 25
1986 $0 $11,250 $41,400 $41,400 29
1987 $0 $38,248 $53,000 $53,000 30
1988 $11,378 $49,750 $74,250 $62,872 34
1989 $0 $25,000 $53,500 $53,500 27
1990 $0 $19,600 $61,000 $61,000 44
1991 $0 $25,000 $55,350 $55,350 51
1992 $0 $10,000 $47,500 $47,500 37
1993 $0 $21,000 $59,025 $59,025 71
1994 $0 $20,582 $60,300 $60,300 56
1995 $0 $24,000 $49,760 $49,760 48
1996 $3,750 $34,088 $56,540 $52,790 52
1997 $0 $25,500 $50,028 $50,028 64
1998 $0 $19,994 $43,407 $43,407 66
1999 $2,750 $20,000 $40,250 $37,500 71
2000 $1,500 $18,112 $39,994 $38,494 76
2001 $0 $10,548 $37,082 $37,082 50
2002 $0 $14,475 $27,250 $27,250 54
2003 $0 $12,000 $34,000 $34,000 31
2004 $0 $9,618 $26,150 $26,150 67
2005 $0 $0 $20,220 $20,220 35
2006 $0 $0 $10,000 $10,000 39
2007 $0 $12,000 $19,000 $19,000 25
2008 $1,500 $8,195 $13,654 $12,154 15
2009 $0 $0 $2,500 $2,500 8
2010 $0 $0 $1,625 $1,625 8
2011-2012 -- -- -- -- <6*
*<6 positions reported for each year. Individual data points appear on scatter plot only.
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Law School Year
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 45
BASE BY PRACTICE AREA
lawyer Base Compensation by Practice Area
q How to read this chart: For BASE the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial base compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of Lawyers
focused in that PRACTICE AREA.
Base salaries for all in-house lawyers are in a remarkably tight range across practice areas, with Healthcare, International, and
Mergers & Acquisitions at the top. This may reflect the fact that most in-house lawyers are generalists not specialists.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 46
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who work in
the specified PRACTICE AREA. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
COMPL $134,425 $165,000 $190,680 $56,255 35
CONTR $114,000 $149,576 $180,000 $66,000 108
CORP $140,000 $179,400 $225,000 $85,000 463
EMPL $130,212 $160,371 $186,042 $55,830 68
GOV REL $109,070 $121,711 $155,000 $45,930 35
HEALTH $151,500 $190,250 $218,500 $67,000 14
IND $137,626 $165,000 $199,808 $62,182 83
INTL $157,500 $185,658 $205,000 $47,500 7
IP $141,142 $175,000 $205,000 $63,858 85
LIT $140,000 $175,000 $210,000 $70,000 105
M&A $152,000 $180,000 $230,000 $78,000 17
RE $120,000 $170,351 $191,000 $71,000 33
REG $126,000 $166,000 $200,000 $74,000 65
SEC $160,000 $175,000 $220,000 $60,000 13
TAX $115,750 $164,210 $207,105 $91,355 6
lawyer Base Compensation by Practice Area
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 47
BONUS BY PRACTICE AREA
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Practice Area
q How to read this chart: For BONUS the box plot’s dark horizontal line shows the medial bonus compensation. Midway between
the median and total is the first quartile, the bottom of the plot. Midway between the median and the highest total (some extreme
totals omitted on this chart) is the third quartile, the top of the plot. The width of each box is proportional to the numbers of Lawyers
focused in that PRACTICE AREA.
Bonuses for all in-house lawyers are in a fairly tight band, with the exception of Securities.
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 48
q How to read this table: These tables provide the actual values for each of the boxplots as well as the interquartile range (IQR—
the difference between the 1st quartile and the 3rd quartile). The Respondents column indicates the number of Lawyers who work in
the specified PRACTICE AREA. We have sorted the table by the median column.
1st Quartile Median 3rd Quartile IQRNo. of Positions
Reported
COMPL $0 $3,000 $23,822 $23,822 35
CONTR $6,125 $21,500 $43,250 $37,125 108
CORP $0 $24,000 $53,588 $53,588 463
EMPL $0 $14,675 $34,106 $34,106 68
GOV REL $0 $0 $10,000 $10,000 35
HEALTH $0 $0 $36,022 $36,022 14
IND $0 $15,000 $30,000 $30,000 83
INTL $10,000 $24,000 $37,500 $27,500 7
IP $0 $20,000 $50,000 $50,000 85
LIT $0 $20,841 $47,500 $47,500 105
M&A $10,000 $28,000 $59,500 $49,500 17
RE $1,000 $11,100 $29,200 $28,200 33
REG $0 $19,000 $50,000 $50,000 65
SEC $30,000 $48,000 $80,000 $50,000 13
TAX $0 $0 $11,250 $11,250 6
lawyer Bonus Compensation by Practice Area
2012 In-House Counsel Compensation Report 49
•GCs in Extractive/Mining/Chemicals and Food & Beverage are the highest paid, along with Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical.
Not surprisingly, Not-for-Profit/Government, Education and Construction/Engineering are at the lowest end of the spectrum.
• As with GCs, total cash compensation for all in-house lawyers is highest in Extractive/Mining/Chemicals, Medical Devices, and
Pharmaceutical. In addition to Not-For-Profit/Government, in-house lawyers in the Utilities industry are at the lower end of the range.
•A shortage of data points for GCs with companies that have revenue in the $3-4B and $4-5B ranges makes drawing meaningful
conclusions difficult. Companies with revenues less than $1B pay their GCs less than larger companies.
•Across all company sizes median total cash compensation for all in-house lawyers is in a remarkably tight range.
•Broadly speaking, GCs with over 20 years of practice experience cross over the $300,000 total cash compensation hurdle. Those
with over 30 years of practice experience have the highest compensation numbers.
•Across all in-house lawyers, a broader trend is visible with total cash compensation peaking with about 32 years of experience
and then declining.
• For all in-house lawyers, those who practice Securities, Healthcare, and Intellectual Property have the highest total cash
compensation. It should be noted that the number of specialists is small compared with the number of in-house practitioners who
describe themselves as “corporate” for practice area.
•GC base salaries track total compensation trends for the most part with Medical Device and Pharmaceutical industries at the top.
Interestingly, Food & Beverage GCs have the third highest median salary by industry. Cheers!
• For all in-house lawyers, the trends track GC salaries with Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices at the top. Consumer Products is
third, with Extractive/Mining/Chemicals and Education also in the top five.
•GCs in the Medical Devices industry receive the largest cash bonuses, with Energy and Food & Beverage beating out
Pharmaceutical. Retail rounds out the top five.
• For in-house lawyers, the industries that provide the largest cash bonuses are Extractive/Mining/Chemicals and Real Estate.
•Once revenue crosses $1B, companies pay base salaries to GCs that are in a fairly tight range.
• Base salaries for all in-house lawyers is highest for companies in the $3-4B and $4-5B revenue range, and then start to decrease. This
could be due to larger companies having more in-house lawyers, and therefore a wider range of experience and thus salary levels.
• The impact of company revenues on GC bonuses seems fairly small once revenue crosses the $1B level.
•Bonuses across all in-house lawyers increase with the revenues of their employers.
•Base salaries for GCs with less than 12 years of practice experience are lowest, and GCs with about 30 years of experience have
the highest base salaries. The bulk of GCs, regardless of experience, make a base salary of approximately $250K.
•Median base salaries for in-house lawyers cross the $180,000 mark at about 20 years of experience, and peak at about 30 years
out of law school.
•GC bonuses do not appear to be highly correlated with years of experience. Size of company and industry are more relevant here.
•Bonus levels for all in-house peak at 25-30 years of experience.
•Base salaries for all in-house lawyers are in a remarkably tight range across practice areas, with Healthcare, International, and
Mergers & Acquisitions at the top. This may reflect the fact that most in-house lawyers are generalists not specialists.
•Bonuses for all in-house lawyers are in a fairly tight band, with the exception of Securities.
R eport Summary Notes