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Corporate attorney salary
Average corporate attorney salary
$115,653
Average Corporate Attorney Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Corporate Attorney stands at $115,653 per year. This figure is influenced by several factors, including years of experience, geographic location, and the specific field of law practiced.
Factors Affecting Salary
For instance, corporate attorneys with extensive experience often command higher salaries. Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned professionals can earn significantly more. Additionally, attorneys in major metropolitan areas usually have higher earning potential compared to those in rural regions.
Salary by State
The highest paying states for corporate attorneys include New York, California, and Illinois, where demand for legal expertise is robust. In contrast, states with a lower cost of living may offer salaries below the national average.
Job Opportunities
Corporate attorneys can find opportunities in various sectors, including finance, healthcare, and technology. This diversity allows for career growth and specialization, making it a rewarding field for those interested in legal practice.
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Where can a Corporate Attorney earn more?
Corporate attorney salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level corporate attorney | $67,100 | $32.27 |
| Mid-level corporate attorney | $81,000 | $38.94 |
| Senior-level corporate attorney | $170,000 | $81.68 |
Corporate attorney salary estimates from across the web
Average corporate attorney salary by state
The average corporate attorney salary in New York, Colorado, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average corporate attorney salary states are Hawaii, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for corporate attorneys
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $140,200 | $67.40 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $120,417 | $57.89 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $127,572 | $61.33 |
| 4 | Colorado | $122,096 | $58.70 |
| 5 | California | $120,430 | $57.90 |
| 6 | Nevada | $109,744 | $52.76 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $119,930 | $57.66 |
| 8 | Virginia | $117,672 | $56.57 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $112,404 | $54.04 |
| 10 | Illinois | $103,597 | $49.81 |
| 11 | Oregon | $104,399 | $50.19 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $104,834 | $50.40 |
| 13 | Delaware | $102,440 | $49.25 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $103,178 | $49.60 |
| 15 | Utah | $100,346 | $48.24 |
| 16 | Michigan | $102,543 | $49.30 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $104,839 | $50.40 |
| 18 | Washington | $101,542 | $48.82 |
| 19 | Ohio | $100,750 | $48.44 |
| 20 | Vermont | $104,272 | $50.13 |
| 21 | Maryland | $108,852 | $52.33 |
| 22 | Texas | $96,213 | $46.26 |
| 23 | Georgia | $98,825 | $47.51 |
| 24 | Arizona | $96,776 | $46.53 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $97,853 | $47.04 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $98,267 | $47.24 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $92,356 | $44.40 |
| 28 | Iowa | $95,664 | $45.99 |
| 29 | Florida | $88,800 | $42.69 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $83,337 | $40.07 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $90,690 | $43.60 |
| 32 | Alaska | $98,483 | $47.35 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $86,432 | $41.55 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $91,841 | $44.15 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $87,895 | $42.26 |
| 36 | Idaho | $87,063 | $41.86 |
| 37 | Alabama | $88,916 | $42.75 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $89,654 | $43.10 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $85,356 | $41.04 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $82,519 | $39.67 |
| 41 | Kansas | $85,288 | $41.00 |
| 42 | Montana | $78,324 | $37.66 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $83,888 | $40.33 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $85,314 | $41.02 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $79,296 | $38.12 |
| 46 | Missouri | $71,970 | $34.60 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $77,580 | $37.30 |
| 48 | Indiana | $68,701 | $33.03 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $76,964 | $37.00 |
| 50 | Maine | $64,370 | $30.95 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $77,430 | $37.23 |
Highest paying cities for corporate attorneys
The highest-paying cities for corporate attorneys are New York, NY, Washington, DC, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $144,431 | $69.44 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $129,418 | $62.22 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $126,000 | $60.58 |
| 4 | Westminster, CO | $123,593 | $59.42 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $121,532 | $58.43 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $121,071 | $58.21 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $113,305 | $54.47 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $109,390 | $52.59 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $104,269 | $50.13 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $103,536 | $49.78 |
| 11 | Detroit, MI | $102,969 | $49.50 |
| 12 | Cleveland, OH | $102,185 | $49.13 |
| 13 | Seattle, WA | $101,946 | $49.01 |
| 14 | Kennesaw, GA | $99,818 | $47.99 |
| 15 | San Antonio, TX | $97,978 | $47.10 |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | $97,204 | $46.73 |
| 17 | Des Moines, IA | $94,748 | $45.55 |
| 18 | Milwaukee, WI | $92,594 | $44.52 |
| 19 | Omaha, NE | $91,076 | $43.79 |
| 20 | Saint Petersburg, FL | $89,766 | $43.16 |
Corporate attorney salary details
A corporate attorney's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $198,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a corporate attorney's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $198,000 | $16,500 | $95 |
| 75th Percentile | $153,000 | $12,750 | $74 |
| Average | $115,653 | $9,638 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying corporate attorney jobs
The highest paying types of corporate attorneys are corporate counsel, assistant general counsel, and associate counsel.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Counsel | $125,248 | $10,437 | $60.22 | 50,275 |
| Legal Counsel | $132,867 | $11,072 | $63.88 | 10,337 |
| Legal Consultant | $75,024 | $6,252 | $36.07 | 16,118 |
| Legal Extern | $47,238 | $3,937 | $22.71 | 10,986 |
| Attorney At Law | $108,018 | $9,002 | $51.93 | 7,025 |
| Document Review Attorney | $81,181 | $6,765 | $39.03 | 9,393 |
Top companies hiring corporate attorneys now:
Which companies pay corporate attorneys the most?
Corporate attorney salaries at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton and Skadden are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average corporate attorney salary at companies like Fried Frank and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton | $237,599 | $114.23 |
| 2 | Skadden | $202,769 | $97.49 |
| 3 | Fried Frank | $202,697 | $97.45 |
| 4 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | $202,310 | $97.26 |
| 5 | Latham & Watkins | $200,786 | $96.53 |
| 6 | Schulte Roth & Zabel | $199,320 | $95.83 |
| 7 | Greenberg Traurig | $187,840 | $90.31 |
| 8 | DLA Piper | $182,724 | $87.85 |
| 9 | Kane Russell Coleman Logan | $179,773 | $86.43 |
| 10 | Foley & Lardner | $176,856 | $85.03 |
| 11 | American Tower | $175,585 | $84.42 |
| 12 | White and Williams | $172,158 | $82.77 |
| 13 | Amazon | $170,474 | $81.96 |
| 14 | Dorsey & Whitney | $163,667 | $78.69 |
| 15 | Zeta | $162,784 | $78.26 |
| 16 | Techtronic Industries TTI | $156,719 | $75.35 |
| 17 | Oaktree Capital Management | $153,923 | $74.00 |
| 18 | Ford Motor | $151,521 | $72.85 |
| 19 | USAA | $151,429 | $72.80 |
| 20 | Navistar | $147,429 | $70.88 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Corporate attorney salary trends
The average corporate attorney salary has risen by $12,410 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average corporate attorney earned $103,243 annually, but today, they earn $115,653 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for corporate attorneys over the last decade.
Compare corporate attorney salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average corporate attorney salary over time
Compare corporate attorney salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Corporate attorney salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $116,000 | $55.60 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $112,000 | $53.86 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $110,000 | $52.97 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $109,000 | $52.24 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $108,000 | $51.76 | +2.0% |
Recently added corporate attorney salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobank | Corporate Attorney | Greenwood Village, CO | 06/29/2025 | $119,200 |
| Get It-Real Estate | Corporate Attorney-Remote | WFH | New Albany, OH | 06/29/2025 | $125,000 |
| Repligen Corporation | Corporate Attorney, Employment Law | Waltham, MA | 06/29/2025 | $160,000 |
| The Freelance Firm | Remote, Contract-Based South Carolina Corporate/Transactional Attorney Opportunity- | Columbia, SC | 06/27/2025 | $166,960 |
| The Freelance Firm | Remote, Contract-Based Business/Corporate/Transactional Attorney Opportunity- | Aspen Park, CO | 06/27/2025 | $166,960 |
| We Are Legal Revolution | Attorney-Corporate Transactions-Close + Deals | Hackensack, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $200,000 |
| Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt | Corporate Attorney (Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver | Portland, OR | 06/26/2025 | $165,000 |
| Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt | Corporate Attorney (Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver | Seattle, WA | 06/26/2025 | $165,000 |
| Mission Recruiting | Attorney | Corporate Transactions | Hybrid | 147574 | Los Angeles, CA | 06/26/2025 | $200,000 |
| We Are Legal Revolution | Attorney-Corporate Transactions-Drive + M&A | New York, NY | 06/25/2025 | $220,000 |
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